Mother Nature 2: The Rescue
by SladinForever
Summary: —Sequel to Mother Nature— Robin's on a mission. He must save those that he wronged, before something terrible happens to them. But with a daemon slowly consuming his soul, will he make it to the last child in time? Or will he turn to the darkness forever? Read to discover the shocking truth! —Next update unknown—
1. Mother Nature 2 Chapter 1

_"How many more of these brats do we have to find? I am sick of this rescuing bullshit."_

The wind was blowing loud and hard through a dense forest. A few birds were trying to return to their nests. Squirrels and other woodland creatures were doing their usual routines, like finding nuts or other assortment of foods, or conversing between one another. Some were taking notice of a fluffy, red wolf with blue eyes, which was impossible in full blooded wolves, walking through. He was thin and lanky and had a bushy tail. His ears moved around as he listened to the animals muttering to themselves. He didn't seem to care that they were scared of him. He wasn't going to hurt any of them, not unless they attacked first. The animals seemed to sense what he was too. It was the way he smelled.

"Who even is this guy?" a spotted rabbit asked a chipmunk. "Normally I can deal with dogs and wolves, but I really don't like this one."

"He's probably just passing through," the chipmunk said. "He's not bothering us."

"He better not."

The wolf suddenly changed direction, heading left away from the animals. An angry voice filled his head.

_"Go back and kill that stupid rabbit!"_

The wolf hung his head and sighed. "How many times do I have to say it, Fenrir? I'm only killing if I need to eat, which I don't."

Fenrir growled. _"Robin, I swear you are the worst host in existence."_

"Then stop possessing my body."

_"I am afraid that is impossible. I have integrated my spirit into yours. You were reborn, so to speak. Only very powerful magic can disconnect us. Unless we find a very powerful magic being, you are forever stuck with me."_

Robin growled low in his throat. "Great…"

Robin continued walking towards his next destination. For the last five months he had traveled North America to find some very special kids in very bad situations. He had vowed to rescue them half a year ago after an insane man named Drake turned them into anthropomorphic beings. Out of the sixty-five or so he was trying to help, he had found almost half. Not all of them had been with terrible people, but a vast majority had been. One or two didn't mind their new lives, because they had nowhere else to go anyway, and the people had been kind to them. Robin had insisted that those individuals go to law enforcement, to possibly see if their actual parents were looking for them, but they refused with pretty good reasons. One couple couldn't have children, so they had adopted one from Drake and were in the process of getting the animal body parts surgically removed. Robin had reluctantly given up on those kids, knowing there was nothing he could do to change their minds.

Now Robin was trying to find a shark anthro that had been sold to a water park in Texas. It was going to be slightly harder to free this one, what with being in a park with tons of tourists and all. He also had to _find_ him within the park. Luckily, Robin had a super nose and sensory abilities, so he could weed out the normal humans from the half human/half shark.

_"So who is next on your list?"_

It was nearing nightfall. Robin decided to stop for the night and rest his legs and paws. Entering a bush, he laid down with his front legs stretched out and his back legs facing the right. His tail curled around his haunch.

"A boy named Chris, who is part shark. He was sold as a tourist attraction at a Texan water park for ten grand. I vaguely remember hearing about this particular one two or three years ago. They're not very nice to their animals, but they haven't been caught because they were good at hiding their tracks. I hate to think the state Chris is in since he was bought. It was almost a year and a half ago that he was taken. I pray he isn't already dead."

_"Praying does not actually do anything. It is amusing that you humans think it does. Well, at least those who believe in that god with a capitol G. In truth, there are multiple gods, like those of human mythologies, all controlling a set region. The Greek gods, for example, reside over Greece. Celtic gods reside over Ireland and Scotland, Norse gods for Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, Roman gods over Rome and Russia, and Egyptian gods of Egypt. As for this God Christians believe in, it does exist, but it is not as it is interpreted as. It is genderless, it did create a garden called Eden, but it did not create the entire universe. In fact, every single god that I both mentioned and did not mention helped create the solar systems and galaxies. They all played a part in Creation, not an all powerful God."_

Fenrir paused. _"__You did not hear a __**word **__I just said, did you?"_

Robin had his muzzle on his leg, staring off into space through most of the demon's explanation. No, he hadn't heard much. His mind was preoccupied on other things at the moment. It wasn't just on the children he was rescuing, but also on a life he was having trouble remembering. He caught vague images of different people that he still knew the names of: Starfire, Raven, Cyborg, Beast Boy, S- Robin's eyes narrowed in disappointment. That last one was always on the tip of his tongue. It seemed extremely important to him for some reason. Who was he starting to forget?

"Have I been a wolf for too long?" Robin suddenly asked softly.

_"The last time you transformed into your human self was a few weeks ago. Why?"_

"…I'm…starting to forget my past, I think." Robin sighed. "I don't even know. I still remember my old team, but even they're fading away. Every time I think of Beast Boy, I feel pain. I want to cry about him, but I can't. I can't for the life of me remember what happened to him…"

Fenrir hummed very quietly. _"__I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but, yes, the more you stay like this, the more you become me, you slowly begin to forget the most important things. For example, most animals forget their parents once they are young adults, and you are no different. Do you remember your parents?"_

Robin thought long and hard about that one. A strange feeling began to form in the pit of his stomach and slowly travel through him. Something in his mind was flashing repeatedly: lights, bright colors, and short and tall, thin and fat blurs surrounding something. Robin closed his eyes tight, trying to make the images more clear. It just seemed to blur things more. A whine escaped him as his body felt the sensation of falling from a great height. There was a long pause and then—

Robin's eyes snapped open and his head shot up. He was panting heavily and his heart was beating horribly fast. Light was streaming through the branches of a bush. Fenrir let out a loud yawn.

_"Is it morning, already?"_

Robin stopped panting, but his tongue still hung out of his mouth. After pulling it back in, he lifted himself onto his paws and slunk his way into the open air. Sunlight was streaming through trees and slowly warming everything. He looked around while sniffing the air. When he got his path back, he started walking.

"Were we…talking about something last night?"

_"Yes. We talked about the gods."_

"What about after that?"

_"You did not actually listen to what I said, but out of the blue you asked if you have been a wolf too long. I told you you had not transformed into a human until a few weeks ago. Then you got quiet and fell asleep."_

Robin frowned. "I don't remember falling asleep…"

_"Well you did. Now, how about breakfast?"_

Robin was silent, having a horrible, sinking feeling.

**To Be Continued…**


	2. Mother Nature 2 Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Teen Titans or its characters. I don't make any money from this fan fic. The concepts and plot are mine, which includes Robin's simple wolf design. Any OCs also belong to me

Okay, so, sequel time! I decided not to put anything on chapter 1 because I wanted to keep it strictly storytelling. So you get it here instead! So, chapter 1; interesting enough for you? It's quite obvious what's happening to Robin. Could he truly forget his human life in the near future? Perhaps, perhaps not. In case you didn't catch it/get it, Robin was trying very hard to remember his parents dying, but can't. That memory is almost completely faded. Why? Because of what the demon said. The longer Robin is connected with him, the more he loses his former self. So, what does that mean? Whelp, you're going to have to read to find that out ;)

For now, updates will be once a week and a half. So chapter 3 will be posted, not next Friday, but the Wednesday after (so the 23rd) But, since I worked on this in advance—by the time chapter 1 was posted last week, I had finished 10 chapters—it may go to an update every 3-4 days rather than 7. Why? Because there's also a sequel to this one and both stories will be pretty long in total. I wager it would take like 4-5 months to finish both if I posted one chapter a week. So to keep people from getting bored, updates will get more frequent later, unless something happens. I'll try not to fall behind on my writing!

Anyway, enjoy!

**SladinForever**

* * *

After another week, Robin was in a Texas desert close to a freeway, just one hundred miles from the water park. To cut down the time it would take if he walked, he was running at his highest speed. Dust and gravel flew up and hovered behind him as his paws pressed into the rock. Fenrir had been very quiet recently, which was a blessing. He always talked about things Robin didn't care about.

_"Should you be saving your strength?"_

Well, so much for peace and quiet. Slowing down, Robin began to walk. "I was going to be just fine. Now you've ruined my concentration."

_"Do not bark at me, pup."_

Robin growled. "Then leave me alone."

For the rest of his traveling, Robin walked. After three and a quarter hours, he was nearing the city with the water park. He jogged the rest of the way, paying attention to the freeway signs along the edge of the road. On the Attractions sign, there was an amusement park logo and the water park's logo. There was a flier in the corner by the water park info. Ignoring any stares from people as he looked up, Robin read the flier.

There was a lineless vector of the park's logo at the top, similar to the Disney castle logo, what appeared to be a tank full of water, and a male figure with the tail and head of a shark. In the corner with a star burst behind it had the words "Come and See the AMAZING Sharkboy Today!" in bold letters. In smaller words under it, it read: You can feed him for an extra fifteen dollars! Robin glared at the flier.

_"I cannot wait to see the admission price," _Fenrir exclaimed with a laugh.

Robin snorted as he turned away and headed into the city. As best as possible, he stayed close to back streets and alleyways to avoid being seen. If he had to get through crosswalks, he did so at a run. Sometimes cars honked at him when he began crossing as their green light came on. Robin growled in annoyance, hating how impatient humans were.

_"You know, this would all be easier if you just blew the city up."_

Passing a sign that told him how much further he was from the park, Robin rolled his eyes. Fenrir seriously got on his nerves when he talked about violence to innocent people. The only people that deserved to be hurt were the bad guys. After half an hour of walking, Robin finally made it to the water park. People were entering it from all over. Right inside were the ticket booths. Banners and signs were laid out around the outer walls. Robin sat down where he was and watched for a minute, trying to think of his best bet when entering. It would be too difficult to slip inside without alerting security. This was a conundrum.

"This is going to be even harder than I thought."

_"Try going around the entire park. It will be a pain, but there might be a side or back way inside."_

Robin had to agree with him this time. Standing back up, he turned left and started running. He crossed the street and parking lots, weaving in and out of vehicles to stay hidden. He had a few close calls with people either returning or leaving their cars. One loud honk as a jeep was unlocked had scared a few fleas off his back. He soon reached the wall and made his way around the park. For a few minutes he jogged, not having any luck yet for an entrance. Suddenly, something slammed, making him skid to a stop and press himself to the wall. He cautiously inched his way around, keeping his ears alert and trying to stay as silent as possible.

After half a minute, Robin found a steel door with metal slits in it. He faintly heard the sound of male voices walking away. Facing the wall while standing to the left of the door, Robin got his front paws on the handle and pulled down. There was a thud, but the door didn't open. He glared at it. How was he going to get through a locked door without alerting anyone? He dropped down and stepped back.

"How should I proceed?"

_"Hmmm__…__either wait for another person to come out or jump over the wall." _Robin looked up to see how far away the top was. It didn't look too hard to reach. _"__I can give you some strength in your paws while you run."_

Nodding, Robin turned, ran off about twenty feet, and then turned back around. With a deep breath, he ran back towards the wall. Fenrir gave him some strength as he got closer. When he was just feet away, Robin got his front paws on the wall and then began to run up it. Blue sparks flew from his paws. He slowed when he was half a foot from the top, but managed to get himself onto the edge. He steadied himself, made sure no one had seen or was watching, and then dropped down. Right as he landed, he turned left and ran for cover. He hid behind a stand that was selling merchandise, such as baseball caps with the water park's logo and name on it, foam fingers with the names of sea creatures on them, maps of the park, and pamphlets for the tourist attractions. There were also large posters of the flier from the freeway.

_"We cannot hide forever."_

"I know," Robin said quietly. "I'm going to try and take a map."

Robin peered around the booth and saw a person looking at stuff. As he pulled a map out, another fell by his feet. Robin quickly snatched it with his paw and pulled it back. Quickly picking it up in his mouth, he ran around the booth and took off. When he was alone and hiding again, he dropped the map and began to open it with his front paws. It was a pain, but he got it. There were pathways and labels of where everything was. The booth where he got the map was marked with a star that said You Are Here. Robin quickly examined the map, trying to find a sign for Sharkboy. When he couldn't find it on the top part, he looked below and saw another section of the park. Apparently there was an underground section. It didn't take him long to find a vector image of a shark's head resting on what he assumed was a tank. Well, it made sense to put a sea creature in a tank of water, now, wasn't it?

"Okay, I have to get to the center of the park and go down into a tunnel that leads to an aquarium."

_"It is too bad that you do not have clothes so you can transform into a human. It would look weird for a naked human to be running around."_

"I'll have to sneak in then."

Leaving the map behind, Robin headed for the center of the park at a run. He continued to stay around booths and within very large groups of people to stay hidden. After a few minutes, he reached the tunnel and peered inside. People were walking through ticket booth barriers after flashing their tickets. When things were a little more clear, he darted in, pressed himself to a security box, and then slunk around it, went under the barrier, and was in. Luckily it was dark in the underground. Robin stuck to the shadows as he made his way through. If people came around corners, he would swiftly vanish from sight until the coast was clear.

Robin had been searching for Sharkboy for several minutes, but hadn't found his tank anywhere. He was about to go back out and go to where the killer whale show was, in case he was performing, when a group of kids sounded excited. Robin followed their voices and soon found them in front of a large tank that was about thirty feet high. He stayed away from the water's glow, while still maintaining close proximity to the kids, without anyone seeing him. There was a loud rush of water after something big dove into the tank. It vanished for a moment before returning. Robin blinked at what he was seeing.

A nineteen year old boy was swimming in the water, managing to breathe just fine. What was weird about him was his legs and waist were replaced by the back half of a shark. He did tons of different tricks, like flips and rolls, for the children, who looked on in amazement. Robin didn't need a sign to tell him that this was Sharkboy, aka Chris. He was fairly thin and, unless one looked close enough, had semi-dark circles under his eyes. His eyes were slightly bloodshot, probably from any chemicals that were in the water to keep the tank clean. Robin's ears fell down and then back when he could sense Chris's weak and painful aura. He was in this mess because of him.

After a few minutes, Chris waved good-bye to the kids, spiraled around so his tail was to them, and then skyrocketed towards the top of the tank. He vanished from sight, making the children groan and whine.

"Wait Sharkboy! Come back!"

"Don't go!"

When Chris didn't return, the kids departed. Soon, the arena was empty and Robin was alone. Making sure no one was coming, he came out of hiding and moved to the tank. Straining his ears, he heard muffled sounds near the top of the tank. Robin tried to see all the way to the top, but he couldn't press his head any further into the glass.

"I need my ears enhanced. Can you do that?" Robin whispered.

_"Yes, give me three seconds."_

Robin waited. After four seconds, sound was louder in his ears. He heard an angry male voice practically yelling.

"Chris, I don't give a flying fuck how tired you are. Go back in there and entertain those stupid kids."

"Brent, come on! I've been doing stupid tricks all day. I didn't even get my breakfast because your feeders forgot about me. _Again!_"

Chris's handler sighed. "Jesus, fine. I'll try and get people that paid extra to give you food over here asap. Just get back in the water and practice your routines."

The sound of footsteps walking away reached Robin's ears for a moment and then all was silent. His ear hearing capacity returned to normal. He stepped back away from the tank and sat down, waiting. After a few more seconds, he heard a splash and then saw Chris coming down. Robin blinked in interest when he saw his shark tail move down and mold itself with his legs.

_"So on dry land, he walks around like a person with a shark tail. But when he is in the water-"_

"I get it," Robin interrupted quietly. He watched Chris swim slowly towards the bottom of the tank. When he was feet away, he pulled his shark tail forward and then sat down. Leaning all the way forward, he wrapped his arms tight around his stomach and sighed, not noticing Robin yet. Getting back up, he moved a bit closer to the glass. "Chris?"

Hearing the sudden voice, Chris forced himself backwards in fright. When he saw Robin staring at him, he swallowed to calm down. "Who are you? And how can I understand you?"

"My name's Robin. And animals can understand each other just fine."

"But I'm only half."

Robin shook his head. "That doesn't matter. All animals have a sixth sense, humans' are just very weak, so they can't understand me."

Chris stared at him silently for a few seconds before moving towards the glass. "How were you able to find me? _Why_ did you find me? I feel like you are here for a reason."

Robin gave a short nod. "I've been traveling for a long time now. I'm searching for all the anthros that your seller sold off to people. You're the twenty-third one I've found. Am I right in believing you're being mistreated?"

Chris's eyes suddenly turned sullen. "Yeah, you could say that. I've heard stories that a lot of the marine life aren't treated right here. But why do you, of all people, want to help me anyway? Why is it your responsibility? And how do you know about the guy that turned me into this?"

Robin slowly looked down at the floor. "Do you have family, Chris?"

"I do. But its really messed up. My mom dates the wrong guys." Chris paused. "The…last one she dated drugged me and gave me away to the man that sold me off. I worry he's hurting her."

Robin's eyes clenched tightly shut. His heart ached for Chris and his mother. Slowly looking back up, he gave him an apologetic look. "All of this happened to you because of me."

Chris's eyes widened in surprise. "What? But how?"

Robin sighed. "I'm actually human, but I was turned into this. I was a hero and an old enemy of mine had thrown this poison gas at me and I passed out. When I came around, I was a wolf. I walked around the city I lived in for a while until someone found me and took me home. They managed to cure me halfway. I returned to my home, hurt one of my friends, and was kicked out. After being on the streets for two weeks, these two men were chasing me with guns. They were trying to catch me for a reward. I escaped them, but they kept coming after me."

Robin finally looked up at Chris and relayed all that he could remember from that time. Chris listened intently the entire time, different emotions crossing his face a lot.

"I threatened Drake until he told me where his books were. When I found them, I memorized the locations of everyone still in America and Mexico and left on my own to find them. You were next on my list to save. I'm glad I was able to get here as quickly as I did. I myself heard rumors about this place years ago, but they were able to cover their tracks every time they were accused of mistreatment. Now I know that those rumors are true. You don't look so good and from what I heard just now, I know my hunch was accurate. How long has it been since the feeders fed you?"

Chris had turned away a few minutes earlier, moving around like he was pacing. "The last I ate was yesterday at three. Most of the time, they give me long since dead fish, which doesn't sit well with my stomach." He swam back to the glass. "So you're really going to save me?"

Robin nodded. "I made a promise that I would rescue all of you. I'm not leaving here until you're beyond the park's walls. Then you can go to law enforcement and tell them the truth about this place."

Chris nodded. "I'd be happy to do that. But what then? Do you think they'd help me find my mom?"

"I will tell you what you need to do once we're far from here," Robin answered. "I think it would be best to wait until the park closes tonight."

Sighing, Chris turned and started pacing again. The room was quiet except for a few muffled voices in the distance. Robin sat back down and watched Chris swim around slowly. He suddenly stopped a few seconds later, folding his arms over his chest.

"…Why does this world suck so much?" He turned back around. "Did you know, that in some countries, people take shark fins for Shark Fin soup, and then dump the sharks back into the water, to _die_ in agony? Apparently it's an expensive cuisine or some shit." Robin didn't answer. "Why do humans think they can just destroy whatever the hell they please? Why don't they realize animals can feel like they feel, know what they know? Elephants never forget the things they see, and yet they're poached for their tusks because of its value. They are amazing creatures. So why do humans want to take that away? I am _ashamed _that I am a part of this stupid species because of what they do to you and me. Why can't they just leave us all the hell alone?"

Robin was silent for a long time. Slowly, his eyes cast down. He couldn't give Chris an answer to his questions. How did one explain the reason humans do what they do? Robin sighed.

"I don't know…"

The two went silent. After a while, they heard a muffled voice. Chris sighed.

"My handler's calling. The park closes at midnight, so return then. By about one, we should be able to get out. Just return to this tank and I'll come down."

Robin gave a nod. Turning, Chris swam away and out of sight. Turning back the way he entered, Robin headed back towards the entrance of the tunnel. He snuck back out and walked around the park, to see the rest of the attractions. He walked around for a long time in silence. Fenrir soon spoke to him.

_"You should get evidence of the park's cruelty. You should go and steal a camera."_

Robin didn't want to steal something so important to someone, but he knew it was a smart idea. Chris would be able to give it to the police when he was free. So for the next hour, he made his way through the crowds, keeping his eyes open for a loose camera. He soon found one dangling from a backpack. Slinking his way to it, he reached up with his mouth, grabbed it carefully, and then yanked the cord free. Before the owner could turn around to see what had happened, Robin merged back with the crowd. For now, he decided to leave the park, take a rest close-by, and then return before closing.

Ten minutes later and Robin sat down at the side alley of a fast food restaurant. He set the camera to his right and then waited quietly. Something was nagging at the back of his mind the longer he sat still. He kept thinking back to the week before, when Fenrir spoke of the gods to him. Robin still wasn't convinced on what he said about falling asleep. Every once in a while, he tried remembering that night, but it was all a blur now. It was frustrating to say the least.

_"Stop thinking so hard."_

Robin shook his head, his ears flopping. "I just want to remember."

Inside Robin's head, where Fenrir's spiritual wolf form stayed, he looked off to the side, his eyes narrowed. _"…__You still remember your friends, do you not?"_

Robin stared at the ground with a solemn look. He remembered his teammates' names and their faces—though the rest of them was faded—but that was about it. He vaguely remembered some of their adventures, as well as an individual journey. Robin strained to see flashbacks of that time, but they were quick and blurry. He remembered fighting some cement block thing, finding a tracker, and then grinning about it. There had been something flashing on the blinker too, but he couldn't make out its shape. Then there was an explosion, but the rest wasn't there. He did remember attacking his friends on some rooftop and hearing a voice in his ear, but it was too quiet to make out. But he knew there was someone on the other side, he just couldn't remember them. At all. This is what really angered Robin. He wanted to know who he was forgetting! If he figured that out, he would think about them every single day, so he wouldn't forget again, just like he hadn't forgotten his friends' names: Starfire, Cyborg, Raven, Beast Boy.

"Will you help me remember?"

Fenrir didn't answer. Sighing, Robin laid down and closed his eyes, resting for the rest of the day.

**To Be Continued…**

* * *

Have any of you guessed the reason behind Fenrir's lack of help yet? Give me your theories and I'll add them to an author note at the beginning of chapter 3


	3. Mother Nature 2 Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** See chapter 2

**Theories:**

**lilbit1016: **Well I think it is because once Robin loses his memory he will be weak and Fenrir can take over Robin's body…or Fenrir really can't do anything about it…Fenrir is a God right? Hmmmm now you got me thinking buddy ;)

At ten minutes to midnight, Robin grabbed the camera in his mouth and headed back for the park. Employees at the restaurant had seen him during their breaks, but just assumed he was some mixed breed of dog. At one point, one had thrown him some French fries and leftover pieces of bun. Robin had kindly eaten it all, and because he was hungry. When he reached the outer wall, he entered the park the same way as before. Most of the above ground area was empty, except for some cleaners with brooms and trash bin picker-uppers. He made his way for the tunnel again, not too worried about being caught. Everyone was too tired or preoccupied with their tasks to really notice.

Reaching the tunnel minutes later, Robin stopped dead in his tracks. He gripped the camera hard with his teeth in annoyance. The tunnel was blocked off by a black, steel gate. He glared at it.

_'Now what?' _Robin thought.

_"I will give you strength in your jaws, so you can break the lock,"_ Fenrir said.

_'What, you don't have the power to transport?'_

_"Not like this, no. If I was my physical form, then yes, I would be able to move from one place to the next without much thought."_

So breaking and entering was the only way. Robin hated that. Getting his front paws on the door, he looked closer at the lock. It wasn't padlocked, as he had hoped it would be. Instead, it was a round keyhole that only a tiny key could fit in.

_'Well, my teeth are out of the question. Maybe I can use a claw…'_

_"Just do not go breaking it."_

Ignoring him, Robin lifted his left paw and tried inserting a claw into the tiny hole. It was too thick. Growling in anger, he attacked it with his paws. It made a loud clanging sound. He left deep scratches in the paint. In the distance, his back to them, a worker heard the sound and looked over. He saw something big in the dim lighting, attacking the tunnel gate. Taking a walkie-talkie off the back of his belt, the man held a button and spoke into it.

"Something big is trying to open the black gate that leads into the underground aquarium. I can't tell what it is from where I'm standing. I think its trying to get inside."

While he got instructions from the other person on the line, Robin landed back on all four paws and then started pacing, trying to think. Suddenly catching something with his eye, he stopped and looked over to the right. He saw the worker staring at him and talking into something in his hand. Having a bad feeling, Robin turned and started running. He had to find some other way to get to Chris.

Meanwhile, in a closed off area to non-employees, Chris was sitting in a chair with his mouth wide open. He had rows upon rows of shark teeth on top and bottom. A man was checking the back of his throat with a flashlight. As he breathed through his mouth, Chris's eyes began to water. Quickly turning his head away, he started hacking and coughing violently. The doctor sat back and lowered his light.

"He's going to need some rest. The chlorine in the water is causing lung and skin irritation. He also needs saltwater for his tank."

Chris's handler, who was behind the doctor, shook his head. "If we had the funding for it, then we would. Pouring in chlorine is just much cheaper."

The doctor looked at him sternly. "If Sharkboy continues living in unnatural water, he could get really sick. I am surprised he hasn't dropped dead yet with how long he's been here. Either give him saltwater for his tank, or you'll have to get rid of him."

Chris's handler was quiet for a while. Soon, he sighed. "I'll see what I can do about the saltwater."

"Good." The doctor stood up with his medical bag. "Give him at least a week to two weeks off before letting him back in the water. I'll provide you with antibiotics in the meantime."

"Thank you, doctor." The man left. Chris sniffed to suck the mucus back into his nose. His handler was glaring at him. "You just had to get sick, didn't you?"

Chris glared at him. "It's not my fault you people are idiots. How was I supposed to know just because I'm part shark that I have to live in saltwater, like a real shark?"

"Whatever." Chris began to stand. "Sit back down!" Chris flinched at the harsh voice. He sat back down in his chair, confused. "You stay in here until I come back. I have to call the director about this."

Chris's handler turned around and walked away. Chris followed him with his gaze until he was out of sight. Standing, he looked around for another way out. There were shelves upon shelves of cardboard boxes and crates. Finding a vent at the ceiling, he ran to the shelf below it and began to climb carefully. His shark tail stuck straight out behind him, attached right above his tailbone. He folded it down to align with his legs, so they wouldn't carry him backwards off the shelf. Reaching the vent, he hit it with the ball of his hand, but it didn't budge. Chris grit his teeth. Digging his fingernails into the side, he tried prying it down, but it was screwed in tight. Now what was he supposed to do?

A door opened in the distance. Looking back, he saw his handler's shadow. With a gasp, he tried to hide within the shelves, but the boxes were in the way. One was knocked to the floor. Rushing in, Chris's handler looked up and saw him knocking off more boxes.

"Chris, what the fuck?!"

Looking over from his crouched position, Chris swallowed. "I was just-"

Before the man could react, Chris quickly grabbed a heavy box and threw it. His handler's eyes widened before he dove to the side. Jumping from one shelf to the next, Chris knocked boxes off as he headed for the door. His handler rolled over onto his back, his elbows pushing him up, and looked up right as Chris sailed over him. Landing in a crouch on the floor, he began to run. Scrambling up, the handler chased after him.

"Chris, come back here!"

Chris ran through the storage unit to get to the exit. Reaching two flights of stairs, he rushed up them, his tail knocking into the wall and rail as he went. He tripped once but managed to continue. When he reached the door at the top, he shoved on the handle and opened the door with a hard shove. His handler was right behind him.

Meanwhile, Robin was running away from his own chasers. He had lost the camera a minute ago in his haste. Something loud caught his ear to the left. Glancing over, he saw two people running. The one in front had something protruding from its back. The one behind was catching up, having gained some speed. Robin's eyes widened when it tackled the one in front. He heard a muffled "get off me" from the one on the ground. Growling, Robin swiftly changed direction, surprising the workers that were after him.

Chris was rolled onto his back after his handler shoved him around by the shoulders. Lifting his fist, he brought it down against Chris's skull. He growled in pain. The handler punched him again, this time in the face. Blood flew from his mouth and he started to cough violently. His lungs were shearing in pain.

"That's what happens when you run while you're sick. What were you even trying to escape for?"

Chris slowly looked at him, glaring. "Because I kn-know what you're gonna do to m-me."

His handler frowned. "What are you talking about?"

Chris didn't get the time to answer. His handler was suddenly knocked off of him by something big. They rolled away from Chris twice before stopping. Looking over, he saw Robin standing over the man, growling in his face. He looked unable to move due to fear. Chris got to his knees right as Robin lifted his right paw.

"Robin, stop!" His swipe stopped halfway to the man's face, his claws just centimeters from his nose and eye. Robin continued to growl at him. "Get off him, Robin; NOW!"

The other workers had arrived, but stayed back, in fear of Robin hurting the handler if they tried to help. They were also wondering why Chris was yelling at him. After growling at the man's face, Robin slowly lowered his paw and stepped off him. He quickly scrambled away, letting out the long breath he had been holding. With a snort, Robin turned around and approached Chris. The workers took a few steps back.

Stopping next to him, Robin said, "Get on my back. We're getting out of here."

Chris examined his body for a moment. "You're kinda small…"

"Don't worry, I can handle it," Robin said.

"Okay…"

Slowly getting up, Chris turned and stepped his left leg over Robin's back. He then sat down, leaned forward, and wrapped his arms around his fluffy neck. Once he stopped moving, Robin turned and started running for the entrance of the park. The workers got out-of-the-way when he ran right for them. Chris's handler got to his feet and glared after them.

"I'm so going to lose my job over this."

Fenrir snorted in Robin's head, having heard him somehow. Robin didn't care what he was irritated about. All he wanted was for Chris to be free.

* * *

Instead of going to that city's police department, Robin ran all the way out-of-town and onto the freeway. The next one was only fifty miles away. When they were four miles away from the park, Robin slowed to a walk. He soon stopped and Chris got down.

"I'm sorry I got you into this mess."

Chris looked down at him. "Just because you were ambushed, doesn't make this your fault. You had no control over that villain. You couldn't possibly have known this would happen. I'm sure everyone else feels the same way. I don't blame you for what I've been through when I was forced to do those tiring tricks for peoples' amusement. It was their fault, not yours."

Robin didn't feel like arguing with him. Without a word, he started walking again, Chris following. They walked on for a few hours. Chris's eyes kept drooping every few minutes. He was also coughing quite a bit. Robin wished there was something he could do to help him.

"Why are you coughing like that so much?"

Chris sniffed. "The doctor said it had something to do with the chlorine they put in the aquariums. I have lung and skin irritation from it. He said to Brent that I needed up to two weeks of rest and to replace the chlorine water with saltwater. Brent said he would see about getting the saltwater thing arranged, but I knew that was a lie."

Robin turned his head to look at him. "Why do you say that?"

"Because I know exactly what happens to those that can't work anymore due to illness or injury. I have heard from the other marine animals that some of their friends were killed for that. When word got out about it, the park people lied by giving false autopsy reports. Animals never lie, so I knew their words were true. That death trap needs to be shut down and those animals need to go where humans actually care about them or back to the ocean, where they belong."

Robin hoped that wasn't true for Chris. He was, after all, human. Then why didn't he believe it? For the rest of the night they walked on and on towards the next city. Chris was getting really tired now and his coughing had gotten worse. Stopping, Robin told him to get on his back again, so they could run the rest of the way. Chris did, falling asleep almost instantly. After half an hour of running, he entered the off-ramp and headed into the city. It was smaller than the last. Instead of going to the police station, he followed the sign to the hospital. The bright lights once he neared the entrance blasted Chris in the face, making him jolt awake. Looking up, he saw the hospital glass doors up ahead.

"I thought w-we were going to the police department."

Robin jumped through the glass doors, shoving them open. Chris held on for dear life when he bounced threateningly. As Robin entered the lobby, people in waiting looked up in surprise. He snarled to get someone's attention. Chris got down, swaying on his tired feet. He held the edge of the receptionist desk, suddenly looking deathly ill. The nurse behind the desk looked at him in concern.

"What's wrong?"

Chris wasn't able to answer. Turning sideways, he vomited half-digested, dead fish. Fenrir gave off a sound of disgust.

_"Let's get out of here."_

Robin nudged Chris's leg with his head. "I'm going to get going." Chris turned to him. "Make sure you tell them you need to speak to police. Tell them everything you know about that park and then mention that you need to speak to Bruce Wayne. He'll be able to help you the rest of the way."

"Okay. And thank you."

Robin nodded. "Good luck."

Turning towards the front door, Robin ran before security could arrive. Chris stared after him as a doctor and nurse came rushing toward him.

"Good luck to you too."

Robin rushed out of the city, to find the next kid that desperately needed him.

* * *

_"How many more do we have left now?"_

After another two months since Robin saved Chris, he and Fenrir had rescued twelve more children. They were dropping off their thirteenth—a spotted hyena girl that was in training to help the military track for landmines—in Arkansas.

"Lacy, when we reach the police, tell them you must speak to Bruce Wayne," Robin said as they walked towards the town. "He's helping you and everyone else that were sold by Drake." Lacy hadn't spoken since she was rescued. She had her arms wrapped tightly around her. Robin kept glancing back at her. Thinking of something, he stopped and stood in front of her. Lacy almost tripped over him. "Lacy, can you understand me?" She didn't move her lips at all. Maybe she was mute? "Lacy, nod your head if you can hear me." She didn't. Robin's ears slowly fell. "You're deaf and mute, aren't you?"

When she still didn't answer, Robin turned to a bare batch of desert and dug his claw into the rock to make words. He wrote deaf and mute with a question mark. Lacy stared at them for a moment before giving a nod. Robin sighed. This one was going to be hard. She couldn't hear him tell her that she needed to speak to Bruce Wayne. So Robin wrote it in the ground: "Tell police to talk to Bruce Wayne. He'll help you." Lacy read it and then gave a nod. With his own nod, Robin turned and they started walking again.

After dropping her off outside the police department, Robin was off again. Fenrir gave an exasperated sigh. _"__I am getting really annoyed with this rescue operation. Why could you not have let the others do it?"_

Robin frowned. "What others?"

_"That Drake guy and his little brother Danny."_

"They weren't brothers, just friends." Robin suddenly stopped dead in his tracks, staring wide-eyed at the ground. "How do I know that?"

_"Hm?"_

Closing his eyes tight, Robin tried picturing Drake and Danny, but all he saw was blurred images. He growled in anger. Every single day he seemed to be forgetting things. He was lucky to still remember Bruce Wayne. Robin's eyes flashed open and then he slowly looked to the sky.

"Bruce?"

Panic filled Robin's heart. He had heard that name, but he couldn't picture him. He seemed very important too. So why couldn't Robin remember what he looked like?

_"Bruce Wayne is the man that adopted you," _Fenrir told him. _"__I only know this because while integrating my soul with yours, I have been seeing flashes of your past. You two had a fight, and so you left him to go to some place called Jump City. Does that ring any bells?"_

Robin blinked a few times. It did sound familiar. Forcefully sitting down, Robin lowered his head and sighed. "I remember Starfire's flowing red hair, Raven's pale face, Cyborg's mechanical eye, and…" Robin trailed off. He couldn't produce a name to go with the final person. "A kid with green skin and hair."

_"You are thinking of Beast Boy."_

Robin frowned. "Are you sure?"

_"Yes." _Fenrir didn't elaborate any further. He knew of one very important fact regarding Beast Boy, but he wasn't going to tell Robin. _"__Let's keep going; we are wasting precious time. And would it kill you to get something to eat? You have not had a single bite in five weeks."_

Robin felt like Fenrir was hiding something from him, but he didn't know what. Standing back up, he continued walking, heading east for Tennessee.

**To Be Continued…**


	4. Mother Nature 2 Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** See chapter 2

I'm sorry for how boring the chapters are so far, but I didn't want to just have Robin reach his destination at the very beginning—that would be lame— So I had to add some of the people he's trying to save in there. But don't worry! We're finally getting into more action and how much more Robin is changing. As of now, he's mostly losing his memories of his human life. From last chapter, he's already forgotten that Beast Boy was killed, even going so far as to forgetting his name. I know, horrible isn't it. Stupid Fenrir *shakes fist at him* ANYWAY, on with the fic. More of Robin's changes are coming, so stay tuned!

**SladinForever**

* * *

After five and a half more months, Robin and Fenrir were finally nearing the end of their Child Rescue endeavors. During that course of time, Robin slowly forgot who Starfire, Raven, Cyborg, and Beast Boy were. He never even thought about them anymore. Sometimes he would feel sad without knowing why, but he assumed it was because of how long and how far he had traveled in almost a year. If he could guess, this was like human depression. His body had gotten much stronger and he felt bigger. Insomnia had become a regular thing too. He rarely ate either. This was a gift to him rather than a curse because he made good progress without the distractions. Now he was just three children away to being done. Then he could concentrate on the heavy feeling that stayed with him all the time. Robin didn't exactly know where he wanted to go after saving the last kid, so he was going by instinct.

_"Where are we heading to now?" _Fenrir asked.

Robin thought about it for a moment. "Um, Florida. There's two boys in the Everglades that were sold to rednecks. An alligator and crocodile, I think, for shows or something. Then, after that, we're heading north from here on out."

_"What about the last one?"_

"The last one was the whole reason I decided to do this," Robin answered. "I made a promise to someone that I would save them. I don't remember who I made the promise to, but I know I made one. She's in New Jersey."

Fenrir laughed inside his head. _"__A damsel in distress?! I am starting to like you, boy." _Robin rolled his eyes as he was crossing the Florida border. _"__What is her name?"_

"Rosie."

_"Who are we saving her from?"_

Robin got quiet, his eyes narrowing. Rosie needed the most help of them all. He still strongly remembered the scent of the man who had taken her away. It was so bad that it made his stomach hurt. Anger was bubbling just below the surface of his heart. He couldn't picture the man, but he didn't need to. Robin knew he was bad; the baddest of the bad. How he knew, he didn't know. But, as he thought more on it, he heard a snarl of pain echo in his ears. His body shuddered when he felt a heavy weight upon his back. Growling, he shook his head hard, confusing Fenrir.

_"What is wrong?"_

Robin looked up and saw a sign that told him how many more miles were left to the Everglades. "Nothing. Just another forgotten memory."

They were silent for the rest of the trip.

* * *

After the two boys had been rescued—an alligator and a crocodile that were forced to fight each other; it was similar to dog fighting, just with gators and rednecks getting off at the violence—Robin was finally on his way to save Rosie, who was still very much fresh on his mind. He was just leaving Florida when Fenrir told him something interesting.

_"You know, since I am almost fully __a part of you now, you can start using my abilities as if they were your own."_

Robin tilted his eyes up. "What can we do?"

_"Well, the one that would be helpful right now is the ability to run at high speeds for up to three hours. Since we do not have to stop for anymore passengers from here to the girl, we can get there in half the time. I know we can teleport, but it is only useful if you can picture the place you want to go. You know, a physical image."_

Robin thought about it for a few seconds. "I guess we could do that."

"_We will have to stop for me to concentrate on my power," _Fenrir continued. Nodding, Robin took a few more steps before stopping. _"__Now the one downside is the cool down time. You will have to take a break for at least an hour, to get your strength back. Eating will help speed up the process. Is that clear?"_

Robin nodded. "Yeah. I'm ready."

_"Okay, just wait about a minute. And be quiet."_

Robin growled low in his throat, but didn't say anything. Inside his head, Fenrir was standing in the space that served as his room in Robin's head. His red eyes were closed as he concentrated on the power within him. Glowing red energy sparked around his paws and slowly began to rise up his shackled ankles. His thick, flowing black fur gently swayed as air began to build. His long, pointed ears with the jagged edges quivered. The energy continued up his body and the air speed increased. Soon, his fur was blowing and the energy was coming up around his head. The chained shackles were vibrating around his paws. Gritting his teeth hard and tightening his body, Fenrir growled. Before the energy burst away from his big, strong body, his eyes snapped open, glowing brighter and brighter. Opening his mouth to the air, he let out a snarling bark, forcing the energy away from him.

On the highway, Robin felt something surge through him. Suddenly feeling extremely energized, he took off running, leaving a trail of smoke behind him. Like a speeding bullet, no, _faster _than a speeding bullet, Robin took off. If someone had seen him, it would've looked like he just vanished entirely. But no, he was just moving too fast for the human eye to catch. It was a really amazing feeling, actually. Robin never felt better!

For the first hour, he had stayed the same constant speed. By the second hour, though, he could feel that energy slip away slowly. He started to feel tired too. By two and a half hours, he had slowed exceptionally, panting heavily. By three hours and five minutes, Robin began to slow towards a walk. He heaved and wheezed as that surging energy vanished. He was in a dense forest now and he heard water nearby. Out of nowhere, his front paw hit something and he flew forward several feet. He crashed headfirst into the ground and then began to roll. He coughed and hacked from hitting packed dirt so much. With a last roll, he sailed through the air. His eyes widened when he saw the river right below him as he pelted towards it. Robin landed in the deep water with a loud splash seconds later. His mouth was wide open, letting water fill his throat and lungs. Panicking, he quickly shot through the surface, gulping in air. With a hard kick of his paws, he forced himself towards the other bank, coughing and spluttering as water hit him in the face. The current wasn't too strong, but he could feel himself drift down a few feet.

Finally reaching the other side, Robin's front paws accidentally kicked the rocks and he tripped. He quickly regained his balance and stumbled up onto the bank. When he was ten feet away, he collapsed on his stomach, his legs outstretched in front and behind him. He panted heavily as he tried regaining his breath. With exhaustion taking its toll, Robin collapsed and blacked out.

* * *

His vision was going in and out of focus. As he lifted his head, bright lights swam in front of him. The sensation he felt through his entire body was strange. It almost felt as if he was looking through the eyes of someone else. If that were true, then maybe they were drunk or had just woken up. Once his sight returned to normal- No, scratch that. It was normal _enough_ but there was a strange, fuzzy glow all around as well. What lay before him was a large golden chamber with different animals surrounding an altar. They were all standing in front of him, looking either worried, annoyed, or just plain angry. In the center was a white wolf with golden eyes. On his right was a magnificent bald eagle, standing on a low perch. Joining him was a sleek, black crow. On his left was a female badger, looking disgruntled. Then there was a Chinese dragon, a bear, ram, mouse, and lastly a tiger. They were all staring at him and he wondered why. Was this a dream…or a memory? After a few seconds of silence, the wolf stepped forward.

"You stand here before the Council because of Ramla's vision of the future." He didn't know who he was referring to. "She has seen terrible destruction that you have caused in her dream. So I must ask you, brother, have you planned anything disastrous in the near future?"

Brother? Why was this wolf calling him "brother"? He was an only child… Wasn't he?

"Do not ignore Prince Remus, Fenrir!" the badger barked. "Answer him!"

No, his name was Robin. What the hell was going on? Suddenly, a rumbling chuckle formed in his chest, but he didn't make it. Or had he? A voice then came from him, but it wasn't his own. It was slightly deeper and had a hint of amusement in it.

"Relax, Genma, I am choosing my words carefully, as not to piss you off."

"Stop acting so coy," the ram said, irritation on his face.

Remus glared at him. "Enough. Let my brother speak."

Robin was still really confused about what was going on, so he just paid attention. Another chuckle, this one slightly more sinister, ruptured from his chest again. If it even was his own chest.

"Even if I _was_ conducting a plan, Remus, do you really think I would tell you?" Remus glared at him. Robin suddenly laughed. Or was it Fenrir? Maybe he really was looking through the eyes of someone else, because it didn't feel like him doing it. If that were true, then was it actually Fenrir standing before these animals? Well, that would make perfect sense, actually, since they called him that. "Do not worry, brother, I am honorable, at times. I do have a plan and I am willing to tell you, at a price."

"The members of the Council do not make deals with black-hearted gods," the mouse squeaked.

"Oh, Bartholomew, you hurt my feelings," Fenrir mocked. "In case you have forgotten, I do not actually have a heart. You all made sure of _that _after I was born from my father's fat head."

"Please do not disrespect your king like that, Fenrir," the bald eagle said calmly. For some reason, that voice was familiar to Robin. Had he met him before? "He was always fair to you, even though you did not deserve it."

Robin felt Fenrir smirk, though almost in bitterness than humor. "Heh, fair…? Tell me, Keshka, do these shackles and chains seem _fair_ to you?"

Robin felt his eyes, not Fenrir's, widen. Looking down, he saw what he was talking about. Black shackles with long, thick chains were attached to all four of his ankles, holding him in place on the floor.

"Brother," Remus said, making Robin pay attention, "this is not about father. This is about you and whatever you have planned. Stop avoiding the answer. You will tell us everything or I will have Bay force you into talking. And you remember the last time our striped huntress had to restrain you two summers ago."

"How could I forget?" Fenrir asked, still with a mocking tone. "She did put a huge hole in my left ear with her fangs. Stupid bitch."

The tiger, which Robin assumed was Bay, snarled in anger at him. "The only stupid one was you, you ungrateful brat!"

"I said enough!" Remus bellowed. He looked sternly at Fenrir. "Brother, for the last time, what are you planning?!"

Fenrir was almost grinning now. Robin felt his sharp teeth, which all seemed to be pointed fangs, dripping with saliva. "Come now, Remus, it is unbecoming of you to lose control of your anger. I would not want all of your special training to go to _waste_."

Remus growled at him. The crow cawed loudly, silencing him. He quickly relaxed, taking a step back. "I apologize, brother. Please, tell us what you plan on doing. Perhaps we can make a deal so that Ramla's vision can be avoided."

"Believe me, Remus, there is nothing you could offer me," Fenrir said, the mocking gone, now replaced by regret. "Father would turn it down instantly."

"It depends."

Fenrir smirked softly. "These chains have always hindered me, and for good reason. You know what would happen if I was loose. Hell would freeze over, freezing the Earth with it. I am destined to be locked away forever. But I cannot control my destructive urges much longer. I will break free of these chains and I will leave this heavenly plain. And there would be nothing you could do to stop me. I try and I try to be good, but it is not in my blood. I was born evil, I will escape evil, and I will die evil. There is no changing that."

Fenrir trailed off. The Council stared at him for a few more seconds before looking at each other. Remus wouldn't take his eyes off him.

"I understand your pain, brother."

Fenrir perked up slightly. "Understand?" The air in the chamber suddenly changed drastically. Robin felt the fur on Fenrir begin to rise. "Understand?!" Everyone looked back at him, looking shocked. Robin looked at Fenrir's body and saw blood red energy form around his paws. The chains jingled loudly as the air grew fast around him. Throwing his head back, Fenrir laughed, the most terrifying laugh Robin had ever heard. "Understand my left nut!" He lowered his head to growl angrily and dangerously at Remus. "Tell me, _prince_, do you have chains to hold you back?! Do you have to be locked away by powerful magic for days on end when one little thing goes wrong?! Does daddy beat you when you lose control over your body and mind?! Since birth, have you been treated like _nothing_ but an evil, disgusting being even though you cannot help it?! Because I fucking have, brother!"

Robin was _not_ liking where this was going. Fenrir was going on a rampage. The council members tried to reach him, to restrain him better, but his anger was too strong. They actually moved backwards. Keshka and the crow had to fly high into the air, so they weren't blown away. Remus was the only one who was able to hold his ground.

"Brother, please! Though I have not gone through what you have gone through, I have seen the terrible events that befell you! Every time you got into one of your fits, father always had to explain to me why you were attacked by tooth and claw! I have always known it was not your fault! I do understand! I understand all of it! And no matter how evil you became, I have always loved you! Because that is what brothers do, Fen! That is what we do!" Robin saw tears fall from Remus's wide eyes. The shaking of the room got much worse. "FEN, STOP!"

Fenrir growled louder, his anger unyielding. Something bright began to form in his throat. As he pulled his fangs away from each other, Robin could see blasts of light out of his peripheral vision.

"Remus, we have to get out of here!" Keshka yelled from the ceiling. "He is going to fire that blast any second now!"

Snarling, Remus rushed forward. Fenrir stood his ground, the lights getting bigger and brighter. It looked as if he would fire, but the closer Remus was, the more hesitant he became. But, it was too late. Closing his eyes as tears spilled from them, Fenrir fired a large ball of black fire, right as Remus pounced.

_'You see what I have become, brother? This is all because you were not strong enough to detain me.'_

The chamber was filled with a bright light, the Council members getting shrouded in it. The horrific blast crashed into Remus, making him snarl in excruciating pain from within. The light was so bright now that Robin had to shut his eyes tight. The chamber shook violently from the amazing power flowing within it.

"FENRIR! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"

Closing his mouth partly, Fenrir slowly looked over his shoulder, his eyes very wide. The shaking in the chamber began to dissipate as he lost his concentration on his anger. The red energy began to disappear as well. Soon, it all stopped and the bright light vanished. Behind him, a behemoth-sized wolf with a mix of black and white fur stared coldly at him. One eye was gold, while the other was red. Fenrir took one step sideways, the chains sliding across the floor. The wolf approached him.

"Father, I did not-"

So this huge wolf was Fenrir's dad? Robin shuddered. He looked really mean. As he stepped around him, the large wolf shoved Fenrir aside. He stopped in front of Remus, who was lying on his side on the floor, smoke rising from his injured body. He was bleeding all over the place.

"Remus, are you all right?"

There was a groan and then Remus began to stir. From Fenrir's place, he saw him try and open his eyes. With a growl from pain, he forced himself up onto his stomach, leaving his back legs in the same lying position. He was breathing raggedly. His left eye was closed, blood spilling over it from his forehead.

"I am fine, father. Do not get mad at Fen. I provoked him. This was my fault."

Holding his teeth together, Fenrir growled. "Do not fucking defend me, Remus! You are hurt because of what _I _have done!"

Remus didn't look at him. "Father, please."

Everyone waited with bated breath at what the wolf was going to do next. After staring at his son a little longer, he looked past him and saw the other Council members.

"Keshka, take my pathetic excuse of a son back to his cage."

The bald eagle gave a short nod of his feathered head. "Yes sire."

The wolf then looked at the dragon. "Ramla, take Remus to the Healing Springs. Make sure the healers do a perfect job. Leave no injury untreated."

"Of course, my king."

After looking at Remus once more, his father turned towards Fenrir, who looked ashamed at what he had done to his brother. "I should have killed you the moment you were born." Fenrir flinched. "You almost killed your own brother because of this evil _thing_ you have become. I do hope you are happy, _monster_."

Remus glanced at a mentally hurt Fenrir from the comparison as Ramla came up behind him. They locked eyes for a moment before Fenrir turned away. Keshka flew over their heads, flying towards the door. Staring at the floor, Fenrir followed. It seemed Robin was no longer in Fenrir's place, because he saw him walking away. An ominous, dark chill filled him. In his mind, he saw Fenrir flash an evil smirk and then the chamber began to ripple and deform. Cracks filled the walls, ceiling, and floor, but no one acted as if something was wrong. Soon, the animals began to disappear, Ramla the dragon picking up Remus in her front claws and then rising into the air. All around him, the chamber began to vanish. Robin turned around in circles, trying to figure out what was going to happen. Suddenly, there was a loud shattering sound and then Robin began to plummet into darkness. He fell head-over-heels rapidly, forcing him to close his eyes. He kept flipping faster and faster until he became a blur. Then, in a twinkling light, Robin vanished without a trace.

**To Be Continued…**

* * *

**Note:** Here's a list of the animals from this chapter and their names, if given:

**White wolf:** Remus, holy son of the King and Fenrir's elder brother  
**Black wolf: **Fenrir, wicked son of the King and Remus's younger brother  
**Black and white wolf: **The godly King and father of Remus and Fenrir  
**Bald eagle:** Keshka, the gentle spoken Guide (Kay-shh-kah)  
**Crow**, the Cryptic Speaker  
**Badger:** Genma, the Teacher/the Wise (hard G)  
**Chinese dragon:** Ramla, the Dreamer/Prophetess (Rom-la)  
**Bear**, the Caretaker  
**Ram**, the Judge  
**Mouse:** Bartholomew, the Justice Upholder and Law Maker  
**Tiger:** Bay, the Huntress


	5. Mother Nature 2 Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** See chapter 2

Happy early upload day! Last chapter was interesting, huh? Well, this chapter is pretty drama-filled. We meet a one-chapter-only character as Robin is on his way to save Rosie from the evil fat guy from book 1. You'll, hopefully, recognize the name ;) So let the reading commence!

**SladinForever**

* * *

The spinning had, thankfully, stopped. Eyes fluttering open, Robin blinked the weakness from them and then looked around without moving his head. He then tilted it back, the side of his head brushing grass. Robin was lying on his right side, his legs mostly stretched to the left. Closing his eyes tight, he groaned and slowly sat up on his stomach. His front legs were stretched out before him and he looked around again. He was in an open plain with the forest stretching left and right fifty or so feet away. Looking over his shoulder, he saw the river rushing weakly behind him. He tried to remember that strange dream he had, but it had faded rather fast. This was normal, of course. Most of the time people couldn't remember their dreams. Robin wished he hadn't forgotten, but he supposed it didn't matter.

Growling faintly as he tried to get up, Robin pushed up with his front paws, to get his back legs moved underneath him, and then stumbled up. He quickly sat down and shook himself, his ears flopping.

_"Oh good. You are awake," _Fenrir said. _"__You have been unconscious for almost an hour. You should eat something."_

Robin had almost forgotten he was with him too. "Oh, right."

Standing up, he stretched and yawned. He then slowly turned around to face the river. Going to the bank's edge, he looked at the water and looked around for fish. When he didn't see any, he took the time to go up and down the bank in search of them. He soon found a few big ones a hundred or so feet from where he had landed after tripping. It was a bit quieter over here. So Robin carefully stepped in, felt the cold water seep into the fur on his paws and his paw pads, and watched a fish swim around for a bit. Carefully lifting his right paw as not to disturb it and have it flee in terror, he followed its movements with his eyes, waited about ten seconds, and then swatted at it. The fat fish went flying from the river and landed a few feet from the bank. It flopped around on the dry land, trying to get back to its oxygen. Turning, Robin jumped out of the water, walked over to it, and then held its back fin down, to keep it steady. With his left paw, he slowly pressed down against its gills and began to suffocate it.

Soon, the fish was dead. Moving his paw away, Robin lowered his head and picked the fish up in his mouth. He headed for the forest to eat in there. It didn't take him long to pass the first few trees. They got denser and slightly darker the further he went in. Robin soon stopped and set the fish on the ground before sitting behind it. Licking his salivating mouth with his thick tongue, he leaned his muzzle down to take a bite, but something suddenly caught his eye. With his mouth still open, Robin slowly lifted his gaze and saw a pair of small, red paws. Looking higher still, he saw the rest of the animal that disturbed him. A female fox was sitting a few feet away, staring at him with a flick of her tail tip.

"Hello, stranger," the vixen said. "That's a pretty fish you've got there. Would you be willing to share with a weak little thing like me?"

Robin sat up straight, eying the fox carefully. "No offense, but it's pretty common knowledge to never trust a female fox."

Standing up, the fox stepped towards him gracefully. "Oh I know the rumors, but I do not fall under such stereotypes. Besides, I just want a small bite."

Placing his paw on the fish, Robin pulled it back towards him. He looked distrusted. "You can have my leftovers."

The vixen stopped. "How do I know you won't eat it entirely?"

"I give you my word," Robin said.

The vixen stared at him silently for a few more seconds before giving a short nod. "Fair enough, pup."

Snorting, Robin stood up, took a step back, and then lowered his muzzle again. He sank his front fangs into the fish's side and tore the flesh off its bones. The vixen watched him eat silently, the tip of her tail softly swishing in the air. After a few more minutes of eating, Robin was finished. He left a quarter of the fish for the fox. He stepped away from it and sat down. The vixen walked up to the fish, lowered her thin snout, and then bit into it.

"You're welcome," Robin said, standing and walking around her. "Enjoy."

The vixen swallowed and then turned her head in his direction. "You're not staying?"

"I have somewhere to go," Robin said. "Nice meeting you."

"Wait." Stopping, Robin turned his head around to look over his shoulder. The vixen was trotting towards him, the fish dangling in her mouth by its tail fin. When she reached him, she set it down. "Perhaps you will permit me to join you?"

Robin's eyes narrowed. "I don't think so."

The vixen sat down, lifted her front paw, and then started to lick it. "I am very lonely, pup." She looked up at him. "And I can sense that you are too. Perhaps we can keep each other company. We can make it a little adventure."

Robin snorted while turning his head back around. "I'm already on a stupid adventure. One is bad enough." He started walking again. "You can tag along if you can keep up."

The vixen had stolen another bite of fish before looking up and streaking after him. When she was alongside him, she slowed to a walk.

"I haven't caught your name. But you may call me Wynja."

Robin glanced at her wearily. "…I'm Robin."

Wynja moved ahead of him and then turned to continue walking backwards. "Well, named after the red-chested bird. Interesting." Robin walked around her when she slowed and turned back around. "So, Robin, where are you headed?"

"I'm searching for someone."

"Your parents or mate?"

Robin shook his head. "No, a human girl. She was sold to an evil man."

Wynja cocked her head slightly. "A wolf, looking for a human? Interesting."

Robin glanced at her. "You're the first animal to not sense what I am."

Wynja blinked in confusion. "All I see is a wolf. Kindofa scrawny one, but a wolf nonetheless."

Robin growled lightly. "I was transformed into a wolf. I'm originally human."

Clearly not believing him, Wynja started to sniff him as he walked. "Hm, I smell no human, pup."

Robin stopped abruptly, staring down at her. "Would you like me to show you?"

Wynja stopped and then turned to see him better, smirking. "Oh this should be fun."

Robin growled softly at her, took a few steps back, and then closed his eyes. Wynja stared in amusement at him as he concentrated. Within seconds, her eyes widened in disbelief. After another moment, she jumped back in fright. Standing two yards from her, Robin was on his hands and knees in his human form. His tail protruded from his backside and his ears twitched on top of his head. With a shake, he looked up and saw Wynja's scared expression.

"Do you believe me now?" Wynja couldn't speak. She shook uncontrollably in fear. Robin frowned, suddenly worried about her. "What?"

Wynja put one front paw back. "Ch…Change back." Robin blinked in confusion. "Revert to normal!" Jerking in response to her demand, Robin turned back into his wolf form, going back to being on all four paws. Wynja slowly stopped shaking and relaxed. "Please, forgive me. Humans frighten me and you surprised me."

"Sorry."

Wynja shook herself momentarily, willing the shakes away. "I truly did not believe you were being serious, pup. But how is that possible? How does one become something they were not born to be?"

Robin moved his eyes over to the right. "It's a long story."

Wynja took a deep breath to calm her nerves. "Well, we have time for a story. It will help pass the time to wherever it is you are headed."

"Ergh…" Robin started walking again. Wynja turned to follow. "I don't feel like sharing. Find something else to converse about."

Wynja thought for a moment. "I have nothing to tell. So I guess it's all up to you, my big furry companion."

"Stop calling me things other than Robin," Robin said, moving a bit faster.

Wynja trotted a bit to keep up. "Why should I when you haven't even used my name once?"

"Wynja. There, I said it," Robin said with a snort. "Now be quiet. I actually prefer silence."

"Really? Well I don't." Robin didn't respond. "Oh I see. The silent treatment. You truly are human, aren't you?" She looked at the ground as she walked. "So typical."

Robin rolled his eyes and then shook his head as they continued on their way. Wynja hummed a little tune and, every great once in a while, did some strange movements. She was quick on her paws. Noticing the strange, jerky movements, Robin glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. Fenrir chuckled inside his head when they saw her turn around in a circle.

_"The little vixen is doing a little jig for us."_

Growling in annoyance, Robin suddenly changed direction. Wynja walked in the same direction for a few more seconds before sensing something missing. Stopping, she looked ahead, but Robin wasn't there. She looked around and then spotted him several feet from her. Turning on her paw, she swiftly ran after him. Hearing the light padding of tiny paws on the ground, Robin looked over his shoulder and saw Wynja catching up. Grumbling, he turned another way and then started running. Wynja's eyes widened.

"Hey!"

Wynja ran after him, determined to stick with him. Robin kept changing direction every so often, keeping an eye on the vixen. She just would not give up.

_"Could we stop playing around? If she wants to come with us, then let her. It is obvious that she will not stop and you cannot waste your strength."_

Knowing Fenrir was right, Robin slowed to a trot and then began walking. He then stopped and turned sideways. Wynja came bounding up to him, slightly out of breath. She then glared at him.

"Why did you do that? If it was a game, it wasn't fun."

Robin sighed heavily. "I was trying to lose you."

"And why would you want to do that?"

Robin snorted. "Your dancing was bugging me."

Wynja laughed. "You are _so_ boring! Have some fun, would you?"

Robin glared at her. "I don't have time for fun. My mission is very important to me. I have to save this girl before it's too late. There's no telling how much pain she's in right now. So stop dancing or you're not coming with me. Understand?"

Wynja stared angrily at him for a few extra seconds before her face softened. "Yes, I understand."

"Good." Turning back in his original direction, Robin started walking again, Wynja bringing in the rear. "Now don't bother me for a while. I need to concentrate on my strength and thoughts."

"Yes, Robin."

Robin sighed, but didn't say anything else. Wynja continued to hum, but she just walked, about a foot away. For the next few hours they traveled this way. Once it started nearing nightfall, they stopped for the night. Robin rested in front of a thick tree trunk. Wynja was cleaning herself, like a cat, while sitting beside a bush. Robin watched her for a while. When she was done, she yawned and then laid down, her dainty paws sticking out in front of her. Her bushy tail curled around her thigh. They were silent for a long time, just staring off into space. Wynja soon looked at him.

"So this human girl… What's happened to her? You said something about a man…?"

Robin's eyes widened slightly. "Oh, well, I've forgotten who he was."

Wynja cocked her head slightly. "How do you know a man took this girl, but have forgotten him? That doesn't make any sense."

"Oh believe me, I know," Robin said. "You see, I still vaguely remember the way this man smelled and I feel edgy when it returns to me. I'm not even sure what is going on with me." Robin looked away suddenly. "Like, I feel like there's something else I'm trying find. Like there's more to this than finding this girl. I've forgotten a lot of things lately, but I still feel _something_." He looked back at Wynja. "Does that make sense?"

Wynja stared thoughtfully at him. "I do. Despite forgetting, there's still a connection that we sometimes feel. Of course, I still remember a lot of memories as a kit. Like my father, for instance. I can't really recall his face or any specific markings, but I still feel him, even though he's gone. And I still remember how he died by human traps. I don't remember my mother at all."

Robin gave a short nod before looking away, his eyes narrowed. The feeling in him lingered, even after laying his head down and closing his eyes.

* * *

"So, do you remember your parents? I expect they were human…?"

A few days had gone by and most of the traveling had been quiet. Wynja was in the lead, zigzagging as she trotted. Robin was two feet behind, sniffing the ground. He lifted his gaze a bit to see her tail bobbing.

"No, I don't remember them."

Wynja glanced back. "Do you have a feeling now that I've mentioned them?"

Robin lifted his head, straightening out his neck. "Sort of."

Looking back ahead, Wynja sniffed the air with her tiny, black nose. "I smell water up ahead. And lots of it. Must be a river or stream." Without warning, she started running, surprising Robin to a stop. "Let's hurry and get there! I'm thirsty and could use a fish!"

Robin growled low in his throat, not in a running mood. "I'll catch up."

Wynja hadn't heard him. For the next several minutes he walked alone, his head lowered. So much time had passed that he was losing track of it. He didn't know what month it was or what the day was. He assumed fall because of the weather. It had been gloomy and windy for several days and the sun was setting much sooner than what he was used to. Ten minutes later and Robin heard the sound of water moving. He jogged the rest of the way. Jumping between the trunks of two close trees, he came into a slight clearing where the river was rushing. Wynja was near the edge, her ears down. Robin pulled up beside her and looked at her.

"It doesn't seem like we'll be catching anything right now."

Wynja looked in both directions. "Not only that, but how are we going to cross? It's too strong here." She was right of course. These were rapids. There was no possible way they would be able to swim safely across. "Huh, there seems to be something stretching across the river."

Turning his head to the left, Robin saw what Wynja was talking about. Turning, he started heading for it. "Only one way to find out." They walked for a good ten minutes. As they got closer, they discovered a fallen tree trunk stretching from one bank of the wide river to the other. When they reached it, they stopped to examine it. Water rushed just below it, hitting the underside. It was at least sturdy looking. Just to make sure, Robin jumped onto the end first and then jumped on it. When the trunk stayed put, he looked down at Wynja. "It should hold us both. Let's go quickly."

"Yes, of course."

Wynja jumped on after Robin started walking. As they made their way across, droplets of water would hit the sides and top and, every great once in a while, would create a splash to their left. Wynja stayed as close to Robin's back paws as she could, feeling a bit nervous. They were almost to the other end already though. A few feet after three-fourths of the way there, there was a small crack in the wood. Robin easily stepped over it, making sure not to touch it in case it caved in. When he was a foot from it, he stopped and looked over his shoulder.

"Watch your step." Reaching the hole, Wynja stopped and gingerly touched it with the tip of her toes. "Please just step over it."

Wynja jerked her head up, glaring softly at him. "I'm going to!"

Sighing while dropping his head, Robin looked back around and finished his way across. Stretching her front, right leg out as far as she could get it, Wynja stepped over the hole. She then brought her left leg forward until the length of her body was hovering above it. Smiling, she looked up and jumped forward. When she came back down, her back paw touched the very end of the thin crack and then there was the sound of splintering wood. Eyes widening, Wynja felt her back leg plummet. She hissed as chunks of the rotted wood pierced her when it went through. Stepping her front paws back a bit, she looked over from the right and pulled carefully. Her paw hardly moved an inch. She tried again, pulling harder this time. She felt the wood move with her, preventing her from getting it unstuck.

On the other bank, Robin jumped down, turned, and then put his front paws on the end. When he saw Wynja standing there, he glared. "Wynja, what are you doing?!"

Looking up, Wynja smiled sheepishly. "Um…my leg's stuck!"

"I told you to step over it!"

"I did step over it, you dunderhead! When I jumped across the rest of the way, my paw sunk through! Now could you help me?!"

Robin was tempted to just leave her, but quickly thought against it. Sighing heavily, he jumped back on and walked to her. Wynja sat down, turning her body around a bit in order to see her leg better. She wiggled it, hoping the wood poking into her ankle would loosen. Reaching her quickly, Robin stepped one leg over her and then started clawing at the splint. Wynja watched him work. Chunks of bark and splinters came away and entered the rapids. Suddenly hearing a crashing sound, Wynja looked up stream and saw something bobbing out of the water. It was big and coming straight for them. Worry filled her.

"Hey, Robin? Mind hurrying up a bit there?"

"Shh!"

Wynja glanced back and forth between him and a rogue log. It was getting steadily closer. "Robin, now would be a _really_ good time to free me."

Robin dug at the crack harder and faster. "Just stay relaxed. I'm trying."

Wynja looked at the rapids from the corner of her eye. Panic began to fill her when the log was just twenty feet away. She swallowed hard. Her eyes slowly widened. "R-Robin, get me out…!"

"Almost…g-got it…"

Wynja felt a great flash of fear fill her. The log suddenly hit a rock and one end rose high into the air, water flying above them. By the time Robin broke a good chunk off, gravity made the trunk come down towards them. Wynja's fur flew into the air from fright, her eyes almost popping out of her head. When the log was directly above them, Robin grabbed Wynja around her back, pulled on her to get her leg out, swiftly turned, and then threw her as hard as he could. She was sent flying to the other embankment as the falling log came crashing down onto the fallen tree, breaking it in half. Robin's eyes widened when he felt his half moving diagonally to the right, making him almost slip. As fast as he could, he tried running to the other side. Wynja had crashed into the hard ground, winding her. Lifting her head, she shook it hard and then looked over her shoulder. Her eyes widened all the way.

"ROBIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN!" Robin tried to jump the rest of the way, but he slipped. His body hit the end of the tree when he came down. As it rolled, he went halfway into the rapids before losing his grip and falling through the water's surface. Bolting onto her paws, Wynja turned and began running the length of the river. She stared at the rushing water for signs of Robin, but he wasn't surfacing. Immense worry filled her. "Robin!"

Under the water, the underwater currents were sending Robin head-over-heels uncontrollably. He tried to right himself, but it was too hard. Fenrir growled in his head.

_"Try to hold on!"_

Fenrir was concentrating hard, trying to lend Robin his power. The energy formed around his paws and then sunk through the black floor. The energy soon formed on Robin's legs and traveled up his body. Once he was covered head-to-toe in blue light, he jostled around a few more times before landing on his back. Looking up, he saw the sunlight through the rough waters. Forcing himself forward, he floated briefly before he kicked his back legs to swim. He moved upward, the energy helping him propel towards the surface. Back on the bank, Wynja was still running and scanning the river for Robin. Pain filled her heart, thinking the worst. If he died because of her screw-up, then she would never be able to live with herself. She pleaded and pleaded for him to be okay.

Suddenly, a few feet behind her, Wynja heard a splash and then a gasp for air. Sliding to a stop, she quickly turned and saw Robin's head above the water. A rapid crashed into the back of his head, but it just forced him forward rather than under. He dog-paddled to the left, trying to reach the bank. Wynja rushed towards the edge and waited for him. Another rapid hit him, forcing him away. When he passed her, Wynja ran along the edge, to keep her eye on him. He swam while facing sideways, using the energy on his back legs to help him. He was panting heavily. Finally, after at least a minute, he felt the incline under the water and pushed off hard. He projectiled forward, the blue energy vanishing before Wynja could see it. Grabbing the edge, he used his paws to pull himself up the rest of the way. When he could, he dug his back right paw into the rocks and mud and pushed off. He landed stomach first on the embankment, his head turned on its right side as he panted. Wynja stopped by his outstretched paws, staring at him apologetically.

"Robin, I am so sorry. Are you going to be okay?" Robin coughed a few times before regulating his breathing. Water fell heavily from his thick coat and making a large puddle under and around him. When he was silent, he slowly sat up and shook his head. "Robin, please forgive me. I'm so sorry."

Lifting his head, Robin breathed with his mouth half open as he stared at her upset face. He inhaled deep and then let it out. "Its fine. It was an accident." If Wynja could, she would shed tears of joy. Robin had forgiven her and that was all that mattered. Ignoring her, he stood up, walked around her, and then headed for the trees. "Come on. Let's go find some food."

Spinning around, Wynja ran after him. "Rabbit sounds good!"

It didn't take them long to re-enter the forest. With his nose to the ground, Robin searched for food, moving this way and that. Wynja watched him while staying a few feet away, so he wouldn't bump into her. She didn't pay attention to the pile of leaves and pine needles just a few feet in front of her. Robin suddenly moved further to the left, having picked something up. He caught the scent of steel not far away. As he lifted his head, Wynja reached the leaves and something filled his chest. Robin's eyes widened.

"Wynja-!"

Before he even uttered the first letter of her name, the hidden hunting trap sprang and the large, sharp teeth flew up and attacked her. Wynja's mouth flew open to cry out, but no sound came out. The sound of thick blood splattered the ground around her and the trap. Robin stared at her, completely horror struck. The two sets of sharp teeth had snapped shut around her entire body, piercing vital organs and entering her ribs. The trap was meant for a bear, which were slightly bigger than regular traps. Blood dripped heavily from her stomach since she was still standing. Her eyes were wide and the life was fading from them.

"R-R-R…R-Rob…"

When her legs gave out, she and the trap fell over sideways. Robin couldn't move, even as she laid dying before his eyes. After a few seconds, the wind picked up and hit him in the face. He came out of his horrified trance and took a hesitant step towards her.

"W-Wynja…?"

He inched closer and closer cautiously, trying not to become ill. When he was close, he stepped to the right, moved around the trap, and saw her face. Some of the teeth had pierced her head, making blood run over her muzzle and cheeks. Her face was that of complete and utter horror. A strange sensation began to fill Robin's entire body the longer he stared at her. Wynja was no longer breathing and her eyes were vacant. She was dead.

The feeling in Robin's body grew, targeting his brain and Fenrir. The heartless god felt emotion flare within him. His eyes flashed red and runes formed around them, spreading across his face. They soon paused for two seconds before coming away from the edges and corners of his eyes. The two halves traveled down his cheeks, his neck, and moved to the center of his chest. They came together at one single point. As they began to be absorbed through his fur and flesh, a cruel smirk formed on Fenrir's face. Deep within his chest, the runes began to fill a place where a heart would be if he had been left with one after his birth. There was already something forming and pulsing every six or seven seconds. The runes were absorbed like liquid and then the unknown mass flashed red and black. When it vanished, the pulsations now appeared only five seconds apart.

As if nothing had happened, Fenrir said in a soft voice, _"__There is nothing we can do for her. Let us keep going, before the hunter picks up his prey."_

Robin stared down at Wynja for a little while longer before closing his mouth and narrowing his eyes. With a tremendous ache in his heart, he turned north and continued walking alone in silence.

* * *

The shadow of a large bird appeared over the hunting trap. It descended upon a dead, fox body. Landing right in front of her face, an eagle's wing came down and touched her head. As if by magic, the bear trap began to disappear, the particles looking like floating tears. It soon vanished entirely, leaving Wynja lying on the bloody ground. Moving the wing away, the bald eagle took two steps closer, lowered his head towards her, and forced out some tears from both eyes. They spread over the wounds and dried blood, making them disappear too. The bird stared down at her as the tears worked their magic, his eyes narrowed.

"Your sins have been absolved," he said in a familiar voice. "I will take you to the heavens above."

Rising a few inches into the air, the eagle moved over Wynja's body and then reached down to grab her with both set of talons. Looking up, he stretched out his wings as wide as he could get them and then forced them down to create an air current so strong that he skyrocketed into the air. A beam of gold trailed behind him as he soared into the air, heading for the clouds right as it began to rain.

**To Be Continued…**


	6. Mother Nature 2 Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** See chapter 2

I whipped these up a couple weeks ago of the gods from chapter 4. Here's the link (replace commas with period): sladinforever,tumblr,com/tagged/mother-nature-OC They do not appear in numerical order for some reason, but they can still be read out of order regardless. Enjoy!

* * *

It was the middle of the day. A calm part of the river flowed quietly by. Some fish were pecking at the sea floor for food. They were soon disturbed and swam swiftly away before a red paw touched down in their place. Ripples had formed, but were ruined when the paw moved forward. Up above, small birds were flitting around and chirping. Clouds adorned the sky, casting shadows. The beams of sunlight made the water sparkle and fish scales glow. It was strangely warm despite the cloud cover. Everything was really peaceful.

Stopping halfway from the opposite bank, Robin sat down and sighed. His paws hurt from walking so much without stopping. He had traveled up to four days this way. Looking over his shoulder, he looked back the way he came, expecting, no, almost _hoping_, for someone or something to be following him. But there was no one there. Loneliness. That's what he felt. Looking back around, he bent his front legs and leaned his head down to take a drink of water. When he got his fill, he stood up, shook himself from the shoulders to the end of his tail, and then finished crossing. He pulled himself onto the embankment, shook his back paws out, and then walked back into the trees. A feeling he was having for the last two days was getting stronger and stronger. Robin almost didn't remember what it was for. He was supposed to save someone, he knew that. A girl kept emerging into his head when he raked his brain for a memory. She had red hair and a thin, black tail. Maybe she was like him?

_"Are we there yet?" _Fenrir asked, interrupting his musings.

Robin shook his head hard. "You asked me that two goddamn hours ago. And the answer is still no."

_"Well fine, but you do not have to snap at me."_

Robin growled. "Then stop asking stupid questions. I don't like this anymore than you do, but we have to deal with it."

_"Fine, fine. Then I will stop asking."_

"Thank you!" Robin was getting really sick and tired of Fenrir bothering him. He was sick of this long traveling to god knows where too, but he was keeping his damn mouth shut about it. Why couldn't Fenrir too? The rest of the day was spent in silence. Robin had decided to do some running at some point. When it was nearing dark, the feeling he kept having was so strong that it was almost painful. Once it was night, Robin took a deep breath and then let it out. "I think we're getting closer."

_"I can sense that in you," _Fenrir said softly. _"I think we should stop and rest for the night. If we find this girl by tomorrow, it would be best if you had your strength."_

Robin wanted to keep going, to gain more distance, but he was right. Finding a very dark place, he laid down with his head raised and his paws crossed in front of him. He stared at the ground with narrowed eyes for a while before he thought of something. Looking up, he searched around for an opening in the trees. There wasn't much of one, but he found the biggest spot and saw the stars twinkling up above. He blinked as he traced them with his gaze for a few minutes. Something suddenly snapped to his right. Jerking his head around, Robin looked to see what had made the noise. He couldn't see anything for a moment, but then a rabbit came out from behind a tree trunk. Robin sighed in relief. Hearing him, the rabbit froze and slowly looked in his direction. It sniffed in his direction, its little pink nose twitching. Robin smiled softly at it.

Turning, the rabbit slowly hopped over. When it was four feet away, it lowered its head and stretched it forward to sniff him. When it couldn't quite reach his leg, it hopped a few inches closer. Robin just stared at it, not moving at all. Like a cat, the rabbit nudged his paw with its head for a bit. Looking back at the sky, Robin tried forming a rabbit with the stars. He managed to get long ears and part of a face, but the rest was probably hidden by the trees. Turning to sit sideways with him, the rabbit laid down next to his leg and placed its chin on his wrist. Robin looked back down at it and watched it fall asleep. He released a breath from his nose before rolling his head and laying it down on the ground. For the whole night he rested with the rabbit next to him.

Once the sun came up and began to warm the land, the rabbit's ears slowly lifted from the back of its neck and then it raised its head. It looked around before spotting Robin, who was staring off into the distance. Standing, the rabbit hopped across his outstretched legs, its side bumping into his chest. Robin looked down and then over when it moved out of sight. He watched the rabbit hop away until it was just a dot before getting up and heading due east. His body felt refreshed and full of energy again.

_"You should have eaten that rabbit."_

Robin snorted. "I haven't been hungry at all. Besides, I wasn't going to be horrible by turning on it after I let it rest with me. I needed the company anyway. Good, _quiet_ company, might I add." Fenrir closed his mouth and then snorted. They walked on in silence for a few hours before a question popped into Robin's head. "Do you have a family, Fenrir?"

_"Hm? …Oh. I try not to think about it."_

Robin lifted his eyes up. "Did something happen?"

_"You could say that. Why the sudden interest?"_

Lowering his gaze back down, Robin shrugged. "It just came to me, that's all. Have any kids?"

Fenrir laughed. _"No, I cannot stand them!" _He stopped. _"Even if I liked them, I am infertile. Yes, I can have sex, but my seed does not have the necessary components to breed children."_

Robin frowned, feeling like he knew the reason why, but it wasn't coming to him. "How come?"

Inside Robin's head, Fenrir had a look of contempt on his black face. _"I was not given the luxury of a heart. My Superiors, who I have greatly surpassed, made sure of that."_

"Because of your father?" Robin asked, not knowing where that information was coming from.

Fenrir chuckled. _"Have you been snooping around my memories, boy?"_

Robin shook his head. "I don't know how I know. The words just come to me for some reason."

_"I see. But yes, you are correct. My father, the king of our realm, born me from his head. The moment he laid eyes on me, he knew I had a darkness in me that I would not be able to control. So the Council had to make the decision to either give me a chance or not let me have b.j_

_kheart at all."_

"But wouldn't a heart help you fight that darkness?"

_"Not necessarily. Because with a heart, it can either turn red or black. So the Council thought it best to take mine, destroy it, and leave me as just energy, hoping it would be good enough. However, their decision did not go as they had planned. They did not count on my anger of not having the choice in my fate. I still became the dark energy I am now. Every day I would go into a fit of rage, for no reason, and get punished for it, even though I had no control over it. To keep me from getting away from my father's teeth and claws, unbreakable, black shackles were put on my legs. I would fight back, but my father was able to overpower the darkness with his magic. His favorite spell was to conjure lightning and strike me repeatedly. I was a prisoner in my own home, while my brother became the prince and would be king once my father stepped down or passed away. My brother knew of the torture I had endured and he felt sorry for me. He would stay by my side until my strength returned. But his kindness only made me bitter. Why could he not be kind always? If he was my father's favorite son, why did he not stick up for me? For years I would pretend that his brotherly love meant something to me. I suppose it was to keep him happy, but the darkness had a different idea._

_"One day, I had been summoned before the Council because the Dreamer had a vision. They confronted me, trying to make me explain to them what I was planning. But I would not. They gave me no reason to tell them anything. They had hurt me just as much as my father did. When my brother had had enough, he tried to make a deal with me, but I knew my father would not give me the time of day. So I told my brother that I would break free eventually and that there would be no stopping the evil that always grew inside of me. I was born evil and there was no changing that. Then my brother said something that almost got him killed."_

Robin was about to ask him what that was when a loud, rumbling sound reached him. Becoming alert, he looked around, trying to locate the source. The ground shook under his paws. Sensing something big, he turned slightly to the left and started running, weaving in and out of trees. When he ran around a big one, he skid to a halt before turning and jumping into a clump of shrubs. Laying on his stomach, he poked his head out from behind the branches and saw a Jeep Wrangler, with the top and sides off, a few feet away. A path had been cleared of trees, allowing a winding passage through the forest. Now what was a vehicle doing so far off the road for?

The jeep soon vanished from sight. Slowly, Robin came out of the bush, walked to a tree next to the path, and looked around it. His ears perked forward when that feeling he had been sensing for weeks came back to him, at full force. Something surged inside of him, though he wasn't sure what. All he knew was that he had to follow that jeep. Sticking fifty feet to the right of the path, Robin ran after it.

"I think we're onto something here, Fenrir; I can feel it!"

_"Yes, but will you be able to handle what you find?" _There was only one way to find out. Robin continued to chase the jeep, staying several feet back so the driver and passengers wouldn't see him. For half an hour he followed it, the sensation getting stronger and stronger. Robin had the sinking feeling that if he was human right now, his ears and nose would be bleeding because it was so powerful and brain crushing. All of a sudden, he felt a surge of pain through his gut and lower region. Almost tripping to a stop, he stared at the ground, breathing heavily. He felt a stabbing pain from the base of his tail to his stomach. Fenrir could feel it too. _"Just take a deep breath, boy."_

Something indistinguishable flashed through Robin's mind. He heard himself yelping and felt electrical currents spreading through his neck and brain. Was this one of those memories he had lost over the course of time? Closing his eyes tight, Robin inhaled deeply, held it for eight seconds, and then let it out for six. The pain and memory gradually faded way after a few tries. When it was entirely gone, he slowly opened his eyes and let out a loud breath. He then looked up and could barely make out the jeep. With a new tide of energy, he ran after it again, knowing that this was what he was waiting for for so long.

For another twenty or so minutes the jeep traveled for wherever it was heading. Robin quickened his pace while moving further to the right. Soon, the trees began to thin out. Up ahead, Robin could barely make out a gigantic, dark figure in the distance, where the trees seemed to almost vanish. The jeep was heading straight for it, taking a straight path instead of a twisting one now. He sensed that something evil was going to happen when the jeep arrived. Five minutes later and it came to a slow stop to the far left of what Robin now saw was a building. But what was it doing in the middle of nowhere?

_"We should go around the back rather than the front. I have a strong feeling that we should."_

Deciding to take his word for it, Robin picked up speed and began running around the building. Glancing at the jeep out of the corner of his eye, he saw the doors open and a few, thin men emerged. They wore jeans and black t-shirts. One had a chain dangling at his hip and thigh. Two others wore a black bandana around their heads. The men headed for a front door. Looking ahead, Robin moved towards the side of the building, slowed to a silent walk, and then slunk around, keeping his body pressed to the painted concrete. When he reached the corner, he peered around, made sure the coast was clear, and then began sneaking along the wall. It didn't take him long to find an unlocked door. Jumping up, he grabbed the handle with his paw and jerked it down to open it. He then dropped down and carefully slipped inside.

Robin had entered a storage unit, with boxes stacked along the walls. Staying low, he made his way through, found the door out, and carefully opened it. He looked out and saw a big room that was mostly empty. His eyes slowly widened and his mouth opened when he saw something that made him sick to his stomach.

"Rosie?"

Before Robin could rush towards the middle of the room where Rosie, the red-headed basilisk, was chained to the floor by her upper arms, thighs, and ankles, a door opened to his left. He jerked his head over and saw the men from outside, plus another, fat man leading them, enter and approach her.

"Would you also like her drugged up? Sometimes she can be a handful because of her nature."

The man with the chain against his leg said, "Trust me, once I'm on top of her and have her pinned, she won't be able to move much." An unfamiliar anger filled Robin at hearing that. "She just better be worth as much as you advertise her as."

"None of my customers have made bad remarks yet," the fat man said, obviously the ring leader. As Robin got a closer look at him, he had this sinking feeling that he met him before. He felt disgusted. "The price is six hundred per half an hour, one hundred less for anal."

The moment that word reached his ears, Robin growled and bolted towards them. Hearing the clanking claws on the floor, the men stopped in surprise and saw him get between them and Rosie, who slowly looked up from her sitting position. Robin spread his legs apart and then growled at them, the fur on the back of his neck rising. His fangs were fully exposed, making him look threatening. Anger continued to fill him the longer he was near her. Rosie stared at him in surprise. One of the men with the bandanas glared at the seller.

"If this is your idea of a joke, esse, it ain't fuckin' funny."

The man snorted. "I don't own a filthy pet. I don't know how it got in here."

"Well then get rid of him," the one with the chain said.

The man looked at him. "And get my face bitten off? I would rather not be paid."

Gritting his teeth, the buyer reached back into his jeans and pulled out a pistol. "Fine, then I'll shoot it myself."

Aiming the gun, the man fired a round. In Robin's eyes, it moved slowly towards his head. With a single step to the left, he dodged it, surprising the men. The bullet zoomed just inches from Rosie's arm. The fat man quickly forced the buyer's hand down so he wouldn't shoot again. Robin growled louder, his anger finally bursting. All of a sudden, the air in the room picked up and was moving to one central location. Red energy began to form around Robin's paws, making its way up his legs and towards his chest. It didn't take long for the red energy to cover his entire body. It flickered in various places at the edges, like sparks from flames. Behind him, Rosie's eyes widened in surprise as she watched this phenomenon.

Robin's eyes suddenly glowed red. Starting at his paws, his body began to change. First, his paws got bigger and then his claws grew to a tremendous length and sharpness. Next, the muscles of his legs bulked up and the fur lengthened and stood on end. Then his chest got fluffier, as well as his stomach and the fur around his butt. His tail got longer and the fur almost turned into what appeared to be layered spikes. The fur on his back came up around his much furrier neck and was almost flowing in time with the red energy. His muzzle and forehead came up like head feathers and his ears became jagged and had tears in them. Scars had appeared on his face, snout, and nose. His fangs got sharper and longer and his teeth got thicker inside his now bigger mouth. He was now half a foot taller.

When his transformation was complete, Robin inhaled deeply before letting out a breath in a snarling roar. The four men were suddenly shoved back, as if a strong gust of wind had flown through. They managed to keep their balance. Rosie had a look of absolute fear on her face from seeing the transformation right in front of her. The chains prevented her from backing away. Deep within her, she felt like she knew this wolf. He indeed smelled like him. Rosie soon swallowed to find her voice.

"R-Robin…?"

Hearing her, Robin growled for a few more seconds before his mouth curled into an evil smirk. "He is not here right now," he said, his voice not his own.

Rosie did not like the sound of it. It was much deeper and sent a bad chill down her spine. She felt extremely frightened. "Wh-Who are you?"

Robin chuckled in his throat, which sounded like a growl to the men. "In due time, child. For now, I have something to take care of."

Rosie didn't like the sound of that very much either. Ignoring her now, Robin pulled his head back, held his teeth closer together, and then began to concentrate. Deep inside his throat, a black, fiery ball began to form. It steadily grew bigger and rose into the back of his mouth. Then, small beams of light branched off from it and came through the gaps of his teeth and fangs. The fat man's eyes widened.

"Shoot him!"

Quickly coming out of their shocked stupors, the men pulled out two guns each and began to fire at Robin. As the bullets hit, the red energy still around his body protected him and rippled. The guns were soon empty and the men fumbled for new cases to put in. Robin soon chuckled darkly.

_'Fools.'_

Digging his sharp claws into the floor, Robin opened his mouth wide as the five times bigger ball came forward, producing more light around his teeth, fangs, and lips. His head suddenly kicked back and he fired a tremendous blast that shook the entire room. Practically screaming as the attack flew towards them, the men turned and rushed to the door. The fat man was rooted to the spot, his eyes widening the closer the black blast was to hitting him. As it touched his bulging stomach, he closed his eyes and screamed in horrendous pain. The man with the chain on his hip was the first out the door. The other two tried getting through at the same time, getting stuck between the narrow frames. Right as they popped out, the blast hit the walls and exploded, crashing into them. The last man was sent flying from the force of the explosion, getting burned and scratched up. Blood was smeared onto the floor and what was left of the walls.

Back in the room, Robin threw his head back and laughed in triumph. Rosie was shaking uncontrollably at what just happened. There were no traces of the fat man or the two with the bandanas. She just couldn't understand how this had happened. And why had Robin killed them? When Robin's laughter died down, he lowered his head and then looked over his shoulder, growling low in his throat. Rosie flinched back, the chains scrapping the floor in her haste. Turning, Robin stepped up to her, smirking.

"Who am I? Well, I am the wolf that saved your pathetic, human life."

Rosie didn't say anything, only swallowed. Ignoring her silence, Robin reached for the chains with his mouth, grabbed a hold of the steel links, and, with hardly any effort, broke them apart. The chains came loose around her arms and legs. With his paw, he began to pull them away, being careful not to cut her with his claws. Rosie was tense.

"I-Is that _you_, R-Robin?"

Robin stepped back to look at her when the chains were gone. "No, I am Fenrir, a wolf daemon. I am just attached to his soul. I took control of him for the time being, since it is the only way I can use that attack. It will be awhile before he wakes up. Now, can I presume you cannot walk?"

"Yes, barely."

Fenrir snorted. "I guess I will carry you out then. I would rather leave you, but my host would not be very happy about that. He would just come back."

Rosie backed away, glaring. Fenrir blinked in confusion. "I would rather wait for Robin to regain control of his body."

Fenrir growled low at her. "Do not waste my time. We are leaving. Now get on my back."

Rosie gave him a determined look. "No."

Growling angrily at her stubbornness, Fenrir lifted his right paw threateningly and was ready to bring it down at her when he froze. Slowly, his body began to thin and he was getting shorter. His fangs and teeth shrunk back to normal and his mouth slackened. Fenrir then blinked and his eyes turned back to blue. Blinking a few times in confusion, Robin lowered his paw and looked around.

"Wh-Where…what…?"

Rosie blinked in surprise. "Robin?"

Jumping, Robin looked down and saw Rosie looking up at him. Their eyes locked and a flood of memories came back to him. He saw himself, as a human with a wolf tail and ears, in a large cage with Rosie and some other boy he didn't recognize, though the cat tail and ears resonated with him. Then the fat man appeared with some guy Robin didn't know, but felt a connection with, before they took Rosie away with Robin chasing after them. When the memories faded, he closed his eyes and shook his head hard. The sudden wave of dizziness vanished and he opened his eyes again.

"Are you alright, Rosie?" A quick rush of relief passed through Rosie at the sound of his voice, a voice she recognized. Even as Robin asked the question, he already knew the answer. He felt so much pain throughout his body when near her. He snorted softly. "What a dumb question. Of course you're not fine. Those gangsters wanted to-" He stopped, unable to say it. "Well, it doesn't matter. We're getting out of here. Right now."

Rosie smiled. "I'm so glad you came." Turning sideways in front of her, Robin laid on his stomach and motioned for her to get on. As she tried to get up, pain ruptured between her legs, forcing her back down. Robin whined when he sensed just how much pain she was in. Smiling weakly, she attempted to crawl closer instead and placed her hands on his fluffy back. "I-I'll be okay…"

Robin highly doubted that. When she managed to pull herself onto his back, she laid down, trying not to stretch her legs out very far. She wrapped her weak, bruised arms around his neck and closed her eyes, feeling sick to her stomach. She felt horribly light and thin. Anger built inside of Robin again, but he tried to ignore it the best he could by heading for the blasted down doorway. He only took a few steps before the gangster stumbled through with a broken ankle, holding the edge of the hole with one hand while the other lifted a freshly loaded gun shakily.

"P-Piece of…sh-shit…"

Crouching back down, Robin made Rosie get down and then stood in front of her to protect her. He growled at the man, who aimed the gun and pressed on the trigger. Robin's eyes widened against his furrowed brow when the bullet grazed his foreleg. Why wasn't he being protected by energy, like before?

"Robin!"

Rosie moved to the side when the man fired another bullet. Robin dodged this one and then rushed him. He continued to fire his gun, missing each time when Robin moved to the side. After the ninth pull of the trigger, there was a click. The gangster's eyes widened and he was momentarily frozen before he fumbled to get another case out and attach it to his gun. Robin suddenly snarled. The man quickly looked up right as he mauled him over. Ignoring the pain in her lower extremities, Rosie got up on shaking legs and forced herself towards the hole. She heard scuffling in the other room and snaps and snarls from Robin. It took her a while to reach the hole. Gripping the edge tight, Rosie attempted to step over the rubble. The stretching of her legs caused a wave of pain through her body. She whimpered when she stepped down and then brought the other leg out. She fell to her knees, panting. Looking up, she saw the gangster diving out-of-the-way of Robin's mouth, hearing his teeth snap together. Turning, Robin snarled before pouncing at the man's fallen form. He rolled over just seconds before he landed on him, spit flying from his jaws. Rosie's eyes widened when he aimed his fangs for the man's face.

"Robin, NO!"

But she was too late. With a growling roar, Robin sank his fangs into the man's face. He began to scream in agony as he attempted to close his mouth around it. Blood gushed out of his cheeks and around his eyes.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Rosie's hand flew up to her mouth as she gasped. Robin had broken the man's cheek bones and tore half of his face right off. Blood burst from the horrid wound, hitting Robin's face. The gangster was still screaming, so he lifted his paw and then slashed into what was left of it with his sharp claws. The man's head jerked to the side. Deep claw marks started from his temple to his torn cheek. Taking a step back, Robin growled down at the man, who was no longer moving. Not wanting to take a chance, he snatched up his neck, his fangs piercing his carotid artery. Rosie quickly cowered back when Robin pulled him to the right and then threw his body around. It slammed into the floor, his bones cracking in several places. Releasing his neck, Robin took a step back, panting with a growl low in his throat. The gangster was a crumpled heap on the cracked floor, clearly dead. Closing his mouth, Robin let out a hard breath from his nose.

_"And good riddance," _Fenrir said with a dark laugh.

There was a pause and then—

"Robin, what have you _done_?!"

Robin's head shot up. When he saw Rosie and her frightened face, his eyes widened. He took a step towards her, saying, "Rosie, I-"

Rosie backed away in fear. "Stay away from me!" Robin jerked back in surprise. Rosie glared at him, tears forming in her eyes. "You killed a human! How could you?!"

Robin tried a step again. "Rosie, please, let me explain-"

Clenching her eyes shut tight and leaning slightly forward, Rosie yelled, "Stay away from me! You're not Robin!"

Robin was taken aback. "What are you talking about? Of course I'm-!"

"The Robin I know wouldn't have killed people!" Rosie almost screamed. Robin's eyes widened. Opening her eyes, she began to cry. "You killed them! I know they were going to do terrible things to me, but I've always believed what you once believed!" Looking back up at him, full of hatred and rage, Rosie added, "Killing doesn't solve _anything_! Now you're nothing but a murderer! And I refuse to go with someone who doesn't care about human _life_ anymore!"

Rosie panted from the yelling and exhaustion. Robin stared at her in disbelief. How dare she say he didn't care. Of course he did! He had saved her life, hadn't he? He had vowed to save her, and he did. So how could she say such a thing? Slowly closing his partly open mouth, Robin cast his eyes down. She was right about one thing though. The old Robin, if he even existed anymore, wouldn't have killed this rapist and his pals or the sex trafficker. He would have taken them down with a few scrapes and bruises, possibly a pounding headache, and taken Rosie away before they could get back up again. Robin truly was becoming more of a wolf now.

"Rosie…" he said softly before looking up at her. "You're right. The old me is gone; forgotten. I don't even remember my parents or if I've even had friends." Rosie's eyes widened. "But I don't _not_ care about people. That part of me will never be forgotten. A lot has happened since you were gone; things that I don't remember but still sometimes feel when I'm near something I think I used to know. I almost even forgot about you. I'm really sorry about what I did to those men, but this is the new me now. I can't promise I won't kill again, but I will try. I will try for you. Because I made a promise to somebody that I would save you and bring you home. So please, let me help you. You need to get to a hospital, before it's too late. _Please_."

The room became dead quiet as they stared at each other for a long time. Swallowing, Rosie shakily got up and then took a step towards him.

"O-Okay…"

Sniffing and wiping her nose with the back of her bruised arm, Rosie limped towards him. Whining, Robin slowly approached her. They met about halfway. Turning sideways with her, he bent his furry legs and let her get on his back. When she had a firm hold around his neck with both arms, he turned right and headed for the front door. Rosie closed her eyes and passed out, not knowing of Robin's disappointment in himself.

**To Be Continued…**


	7. Mother Nature 2 Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** See chapter 2

Oh, snap! This is a disaster, isn't it? Robin has finally gone and intentionally killed someone. Could it happen again? You'll just have to wait and see. Now, on with the fic!

**SladinForever**

* * *

A few hours after Rosie was rescued, Robin had found the highway that ran alongside the forest and walked it until he found a sign with the next few towns up ahead. The closest one would take at least two or three days to reach. Rosie was still asleep, which kind of worried Robin. There was so much he wanted to ask her, like how the guy who bought her treated her after hours—if the man stopped selling her at a certain point in the day—how many disgusting men had hurt her, if she remembered how many days and nights she had to endure sexual abuse, and if there had ever been others before her or with her at the same time. He was more worried about her overall safety than anything else. What if she had contracted an STD or two? What if she had gotten pregnant? There were so many possible aftermaths of what happened to her and Robin wouldn't be able to find them all out. It pained him to know there might be something seriously wrong with her and he wouldn't know it.

When Robin heard a car coming up behind him, he turned back to the trees and almost ran in. Glancing back, he saw the car fly by. With a sigh of relief, he continued walking. He didn't want anyone to bother them until they got to the next town. Maybe he was being cautious or maybe he was really paranoid, thinking someone else would hurt her. Either way, he didn't want any human interaction until he knew Rosie was safe.

"Mmmh…R-Robin?"

Hearing her voice, Robin glanced back and saw that Rosie's eyes were tiredly open. "Yeah?"

Rosie smiled weakly. "I was just making sure it was you and not the demon."

_"I have a name you know, you ungrateful bit-!"_

"No, it's just me," Robin interrupted. "I just passed a road sign. We should arrive in the next town in a few days."

Rosie tried to sit up on his back. "That's good." With the area in between her legs sheered in pain, she tried turning around on his back so that her legs could come together. She bent them at the knee, wrapping her arms around them. Robin didn't seem to mind the added weight. "Do you think we can find something to eat? I'm hungry."

"What kinds of food would you eat?"

"Fish, fruit and vegetables, mice."

Robin grimaced. "I think we'll stop soon and I can go hunting for rabbit or something." They continued in silence for ten minutes. "Hey, Rosie, I know its so soon and all, but…" Robin trailed off to look back at her. "I need to know if you remember how many men hurt you, how you were treated when you weren't being sold off, and-"

Rosie glared at him, making him stop walking abruptly in surprise. "I'm not ready to tell you anything yet. Don't remind me of what I've been through."

Robin's ears fell. "I'm sor-"

"Just please, stop talking."

Rosie turned her head the other way, placing it on her arms. Robin stared at her with upset eyes. Turning his head back around, he continued walking, staring at the ground. An hour and a half later and they stopped for the night. Rosie got off Robin's back carefully and rested against a tree, lying sideways. Her legs were bent close to her stomach. Robin stared at her for a few seconds before turning around and running off to find food. Rosie waited a long time before he returned with a dead rabbit in his mouth. Walking a few feet away from her, Robin set it down gently, rolled it over to expose its stomach, and then used his claws to shred into the fleshy skin. Blood flowed out when he opened the chest and stomach up. He then pulled the halves apart, exposing the bloody meat, guts, and bones. Putting his muzzle in, he grabbed meat with his fangs and teeth and tore it out.

Rosie watched Robin work in silence. She didn't seem to mind the blood as it stained the grass. When he pulled out a few good chunks, Robin used his paw to get them into one pile. He then placed his paws on it.

"I need your energy, Fenrir."

_"I am working on it."_

"You _talk_ to him?"

As Robin's paws began to glow, he looked back at Rosie. "Sometimes, not always."

"Has he been saying bad things about me?"

_"Lie."_

Robin looked back at his paws. "I stopped him from calling you a bitch."

Rosie snorted. "Well that's real mature. He sounds like a bratty prince." With a loud growl from Fenrir, the meat suddenly burst into flames under Robin's paws. He quickly jumped back to avoid being burned. "Oh, can he hear me?"

Going back to the meat, Robin slapped the flames until they went out. "Yeah."

"He's just mad because he knows I'm right."

Picking up the now cooked meat—though almost burnt into charcoal—Robin turned and approached her. He set it down by her foreleg and sat down. Rosie grabbed two pieces and sniffed them before putting an end in her mouth and trying to chew on it. Robin watched her.

"He told me once that he was always treated horribly by his father," he explained. "After he was born, he stripped him of his heart and it made him bitter."

Rosie swallowed her food down. "That doesn't give him the right to be a jerk."

_"Tell her to shut up already!"_

"I know it doesn't. But let's change the subject. Where do you plan to go when I drop you off?"

Rosie's brow furrowed. "You're not gonna stay with me at the hospital?"

"I have somewhere to go," Robin said. "I don't know where that somewhere is, but I feel like I'm getting closer to it."

"I see." There was a pause. "Hey, Robin, how did you end up like this? How did you become a full wolf again?"

Robin blinked at the question. To be quite honest, he couldn't remember. He felt a prick to his right shoulder as he tried to think back.

"I…don't remember."

"How do you not remember?" Rosie asked, dumbstruck.

Robin slowly lowered his gaze to the right. "I don't know."

"Okay, first you don't remember if you have friends and now you don't remember how you turned into this?" Rosie asked, clearly confused as hell. "Don't you remember _anything_?"

Robin's ears turned back and fell sideways. "No…" Rosie's mouth dropped open. Robin growled lowly at her. "Don't look at me like that. I feel idiotic enough as it is."

Rosie snapped her mouth shut and swallowed before speaking again. "I'm sorry, but I just don't know how you could so easily forget your friends. You would think with such a strong bond, you would always remember them, even when they're gone."

Robin tilted his head slightly. "You sound like you knew them."

Rosie ate some more meat before continuing. "Well, I don't know them personally, but they're the heroes of my hometown. I've never actually met them, but I've seen them save the city from villains and monsters a few times. They made sure the people stayed safe, day and night, rain, sleet, or snow. And you led them as a team. You were a great leader."

Robin's eyes widened. "I was?"

Rosie nodded. "Of course. You gave your teammates orders and helped them out when they needed you. They've saved you a few times too. All of you could utilize your powers and skills with quick and easy precision. There wasn't anyone who could stop you. Even if you got in a near impossible bind, you fought back twice as hard and prevailed. You gave everyone of Jump City hope, even if the battle looked too bleak."

All of this seemed too good to be true. Robin couldn't recollect any memories of his past as Rosie spoke, but he felt that sensation he always felt when these things were mentioned. He felt many emotions and feelings on his body, probably having to do with battles, as Rosie had mentioned. But there was still so much he wanted to know; to remember.

"Will you help me remember?" Robin asked softly, looking at her with pleading eyes. "I think if I heard their names and learned about them, I will have some flashbacks of my past. Or maybe I'll get one of those feelings I'm always having."

Rosie nodded. "I would be happy to."

Robin's tail wagged along the ground. "Thanks, Rosie."

"But let's do that tomorrow while we're traveling. I'm still really tired and need to sleep."

Robin stood up. "Okay, you just rest. I'm going to go and see if I can find any water."

"I hope you find something because I could use some."

Nodding, Robin turned around and walked off, leaving Rosie behind. After she was done eating, she turned her back to the tree, leaned back, and closed her eyes, breathing in deeply before letting it back out. She fell asleep almost instantly. Meanwhile, Robin was walking along silently, not really searching. Instead, he was thinking deeply, trying to get some recollection of his past life. Fenrir snorted inside his head half an hour later.

_"You are a hopeless fool to think you will get your memories back just by discussing your friends with that girl. You and I are one being now. You are no longer a human, just a wolf. And animals forget their pasts. That girl is getting your hopes up for __**nothing**__!"_

Robin stopped abruptly, his teeth clenched. A menacing growl formed in his throat before he lost it. "I don't care! I am willing to try! If you felt this feeling like I do, then you would understand why I want to do it! I'm getting sick and tired of you-!"

_"You do not think I do not feel it, too?" _Fenrir interrupted._ "__Then you are sadly mistaken. I understand your want for knowing these things, but I know that you cannot get them back. I am trying to help you realize that it will be impossible. Yes, you will continue to have these feelings whenever they are mentioned to you, but you no longer have the memories of it. They had started eradicating the day I attached my soul to yours to create one. That is how my curse works. And it is not fair, but there is nothing that can be done. When that girl is no longer with us, then we will have to find a new purpose. We can go wherever we want and can do whatever we want. But you have to let go of this childish thinking. You must move forward, __**not **__back. Now we must return to the girl, or she will freeze to death."_

Robin growled again. "Like you said, I can do whatever I want. And I'm going to have Rosie explain to me about my friends. If it does fail, then you can say "I told you so" then." Turning around, he headed back for camp. "But until then, shut your _goddamn_ mouth."

Fenrir glared inside his head. _"__Fine. If that is what you want, then so be it. Just do not come crying to me when you do not remember __**anything**__."_

"Don't worry, asshole, I _won't_."

Robin continued to head back to camp in silence.

* * *

The next day around eleven, Rosie woke up, stretched, and yawned. Lowering her arms, she saw Robin sitting with his back to her a few feet away, looking at the forest floor.

"Morning." Robin looked over his shoulder as she got back to her feet. "How long have you been up?"

Robin stood up before she reached his side. "I don't sleep anymore. I don't need to."

"That's convenient."

Robin chuckled. "Not really. Traveling long distances on foot is boring."

Rosie smiled. "I can imagine. Anyway, ready to keep going?"

Robin turned sideways to stand in front of her. "Yes."

Rosie got onto his back, folding her legs in front of her. They rested against Robin's neck. "If you need me to walk, let me know."

Robin turned his head to see her. "I don't want you walking at all. You need to keep your strength."

Rosie patted his head. "Then ride on, my noble steed!"

Robin snorted in amusement before looking ahead and walking. They were silent for a few hours, just enjoying the cool day and each others' company.

"So, what can you tell me about my friends?" Robin asked around three in the afternoon.

"Well, I know their names, what their powers or abilities are, and where they live."

"And where's that?"

"Well, they live on the other side of the country, in California. Jump City, to be exact. They live in a T-shaped building on a tiny island in the middle of the bay. It got there when an alien race came to the planet in search of something," Rosie explained. "Anyway, your friends, called the Teen Titans, are Raven, Cyborg, Starfire, and Beast Boy. You and Starfire were boyfriend and girlfriend for a time. I would expect you still are, though of course you don't remember it."

"You're right, I don't."

"Anyway, Starfire is an alien with the ability to throw these green energy blasts with her hands and eyes. She's fairly tall, has light orange skin, has long, red, flowing hair, and emerald green eyes. She's really pretty. Then we have Raven. She's a Telepath, so she can lift things and read people's minds. Normally the hood of her cloak stays over her head, so I don't know what her hair color is. She's got these really cool boots that I want a pair of, but in a different color. She tends to like dark blue and black colored stuff. Now your friend Cyborg is half man, half machine, with one mechanical red eye. The other is normal and blue. His main weapon is his Sonic Cannon, but he also has rocket boots, missiles that can come out of his shoulders, and has a scanner built into his arm. And last but not least, there's Beast Boy. He can turn into any animal, extinct or alive, but he's permanently green. He's the youngest and shortest of the group, but he's still a great fighter. To be quite honest, he's my favorite out of the others."

Robin looked back at her. "They sound wonderful."

Rosie smiled. "They are. But did you have any feelings when I talked about them? That was the whole point of this."

Robin shook his head. "Just a small one. There was actually a different feeling for all four of them."

"What were they?"

"I don't know what having a big brother is like, but Cyborg felt like that. He must really care about his friends. Raven and Starfire felt the strongest, like we were really connected. I can't really explain much more than that. As for Beast Boy, I felt at ease, but also really depressed. I don't know why."

Rosie tilted her head slightly in thought. "…Hmmm, maybe you had a falling out or something."

"About what?"

Rosie shrugged. "I don't know. When we had met face-to-face for the first time, we never discussed how you came to be with Drake, just that you were."

Robin looked back with a quirked eyebrow. "Who's Drake?"

Rosie's mouth made an O-shape. "Oh, right, you've forgotten him too. Well, he's the guy that turned me into this and sold me off to that man. You tried to save me, but couldn't. Hence why we're at this point."

Robin vaguely remembered that memory, which he had seen yesterday after saving Rosie. That made him think of something else. "I keep feeling that there's someone else I'm suppose to know, but can't remember. Did I mention anyone during that brief moment with you?"

"Eh, sort of, but you never gave a name. All I know is it was male, since you used "his" rather than "they". I wish there was more I could tell you."

Robin smiled weakly at her. "No, it's fine. I at least still have the feeling of someone else that I should be remembering in me. The farther we travel, the stronger it becomes."

Rosie smiled. "Well that's good. I'm sure you'll find who you're looking for soon."

Robin looked back ahead. "So do I…" For the rest of the day, they traveled relatively in silence. Once it got too dark to see clearly, they stopped for the night. Rosie rested against a tree while Robin went hunting again. It didn't take long to find another rabbit. He skinned it, cooked it like the night before, and then gave it to Rosie. He also decided to eat tonight. "I hope it hasn't been too tough to eat for you."

Rosie tore a piece off. "Just a bit."

Nodding, Robin stepped down on his chunk of meat with his right paw and leaned down to tear at it with his fangs. They ate in silence, Robin finishing first. He had pretty much forgotten what cooked meat tasted like. Getting up, he walked over to Rosie, turned around, and then sat down next to her to keep most of the wind off her. She leaned sideways against him while she finished up. Robin soon looked down at her. Her eyes were closed and she had her arms folded in front of her chest. His eyes almost fully closed as he narrowed them.

"Rosie?"

"Hm…?"

Robin looked away, a small whine forming in his throat. "We…need to talk about what happened to you." Rosie was quiet for a while. Robin looked back at her. "I know it'll be hard, but you have to tell me. I need to know how many men hurt you and how that fat bastard treated you when you weren't being sold. I don't want to leave you in the next town without knowing. Please." Tears had been forming in Rosie's closed eyes. She wrapped her arms tighter around her. After a few seconds, she had no choice but to sniff as the tears came down her face. Robin's ears folded back as he felt her sadness and pain. "Rosie, you have to tell me."

_"You cannot keep pushing her," _Fenrir said after not saying anything for almost twenty-four hours. _"__She is not ready to tell you anything."_

_'Don't you have an ability that lets you read minds?'_

_"No, only my father has that ability."_

Robin sighed softly. "Was it twenty men? Forty? One hundred? A lot? Tell me-"

Finally bursting into tears, Rosie shoved him away. Robin quickly stood up and backed off, his tail going in between his legs. Rosie was glaring at him with tears and snot running down her face.

"I don't remember, okay?! It was a lot of fucking people and they all treated me like a toy! I don't know how many days and nights I had to endure my abusers! Now I don't want to talk about it anymore!"

_"I told you not to push her."_

Robin ignored Fenrir. "I'm sorry. That's all I needed to hear." He started to turn. "I'll just be over here, kicking myself."

Rosie glared after him until he was out of sight. Choking back more sobs, she rolled over and curled up tight, shaking from the cold and the memories of what happened to her. Robin stayed as far away from her as he could, to give her her space. He started pacing, growls forming in his throat. With a flash in his eyes, he slashed at the trunk of a tree with his fangs, leaving deep marks in the wood. He panted for a moment before snarling and attacking the tree with both sets of claws. Inside his head, unknowingly, Fenrir smirked, the red runes forming on his face, starting from his eyes, like before.

_'That is right, boy, keep feeding me your anger and desperation. I will need it when I finally consume the rest of your soul and make it my own.'_

When Robin had calmed down—almost destroying that whole side of the tree—he returned to Rosie, who was curled up on her side, away from the tree. Silently walking around behind her, he laid down and curled his body around her as much as he could. He stared down at her with apologetic and solemn eyes. He could easily see bruises on her face through the dark. Rosie couldn't recall how many men had raped her since the days, nights, and hours blended so much over the course of seven months. Unable to stop it from happening, Robin saw the things she had gone through and seen. If she cowered away from the hands of her abusers, they dragged her close and beat her senselessly. The images changed to Rosie crying and sobbing as the same men held her down and raped her. The more he saw, the angrier he became.

Robin's eyes suddenly hurt and, though he couldn't see them, the pupils vanished and started pooling in with a dark red color, like blood. Clenching his fangs tight, he felt the fur on his neck and back lengthen and rise. In the darkness of his mind, he saw himself within Rosie's memories, attacking and killing the men that caused her so much pain and suffering. Blood filled his vision and then—

_"She will be fine. Eventually."_

Robin blinked and he was back with Rosie, still lying on the forest floor. His eyes returned to normal and he relaxed. The new fur almost vanished entirely. He stared back down at her again and blinked.

"I hope so," he whispered.

Looking away, Robin stared off into space, wishing he was somewhere familiar.

* * *

The next morning, Rosie was limping alongside Robin, who stared at the ground as they walked. Their heated discussion was left forgotten.

"We must only be a few hours away by now," Rosie said.

Robin glanced at her. "I should carry you."

Looking at him, Rosie smiled faintly. "No, it's okay. I have to get my strength back."

Robin looked back at the ground. "You need to wait until after you've been treated. There's no telling how many injuries, inside and out, you may have. You could start bleeding…"

Rosie smiled a little stronger. "I feel way better than the last few days. There's no stabbing pains. Besides, we're almost there. I can survive that long."

Robin didn't retort. He knew Rosie was too headstrong to listen to reason. It didn't stop him from being worried though. After a few more hours, Robin and Rosie could faintly hear the sounds of motor vehicles driving on the highway. Robin sniffed the air with a twitch of his black nose, almost smelling the stench and aromas of a city.

"We're close."

Rosie looked excited. "Oh, finally. I'll be looking forward to sleeping in a bed. It may be a hospital bed, but it's better than nothing. I hope they can surgically remove this tail."

"If only I were that lucky," Robin muttered. Rosie didn't reply. After another half hour, they came to the edge of the forest and looked out. "Well, here's where I leave you."

Skyscrapers and signs could be seen in the distance, possibly for miles. Rosie sighed in relief, crouching next to Robin. Smiling, she wrapped her arms around his fluffy neck. Robin kept looking at the city.

"Thank you for saving me, Robin." She ended the embrace and stood up straight. The wind blew through Robin's fur. "You stay safe. Maybe we'll meet again one day."

"Maybe…" After petting his head a few times, Rosie looked towards her goal and started walking towards it. Robin watched her for a long time as she walked alongside the highway. Then he exhaled. "Good-bye, Rosie."

Turning back around, Robin vanished into the darkness and started on a new path once more.

**To Be Continued…**


	8. Mother Nature 2 Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: **See chapter 2

This chapter is very interesting! Hope you like it :)

PS: Gonna change the updates. Every time I finish a new chapter, I will post the next one. So since I just finished chapter 11, I'm updating now. When chapter 12 is done, I will upload chapter 9, and so on

**SladinForever**

* * *

I wish I was home. I wish I was with someone I love and care about. But I'm not. Not yet. But g_od_ I wish I was.

* * *

Robin sighed heavily. He was walking beside a never ending railroad track. It was too warm for his tastes and his paws were hurting from walking on the rugged ground for god knows how long. He was just sick and tired of everything. But he was mostly feeling lonely.

_"Cheer up,"_ Fenrir said. _"You are making much more progress without excess baggage like that girl."_

"Rosie."

_"Whatever. I do not care about insignificant bugs such as her."_

"You really don't care about human life, do you?" Robin asked. "Even after you've seen their sufferings?"

Fenrir laughed inside his head. _"Back when your today myths were around, many of the evils such as myself caused the same pain and suffering on our victims as that girl did. Many of them raped and beat the weak, made them slaves, and killed them after torturing them for pleasure. That is what daemons were born for: pain, suffering, and destruction. It is what keeps all of us alive. If you do not like it, then that is too damn bad. You cannot rid the world of daemons. There are just too many. But, believe me, there are worse daemons than I. They are just biding their time until humans slip up and ask for their help."_

Robin shook his head harshly. "I wish I could kick you out of my head whenever I wanted because I'm sick of hearing your crap."

Fenrir chortled. _"Like I said, do not like it, then too damn bad." _Robin snorted and continued walking on his path in silence. This stayed that way for a few hours. Robin's pace had slowed earlier on because of the rising heat and sore paw pads. At least everything was quiet. _"Hm…there seems to be an anomaly on the tracks."_

Looking up from the ground, Robin saw rectangular shapes on the middle of the railroad tracks. Sniffing the air, he smelled nitric acid and plastic. Cautiously, he made his way onto the tracks and approached the device. Once he was close enough, he saw that it was six bars of C4 hooked together by wires. Robin carefully sniffed the exploding blocks, not daring to touch them in case they exploded.

"Who would put bombs here?"

_"Terrorists, maybe."_

"In the middle of nowhere?"

_"Do you really want to find the non-existent intelligence of today's terrorists that do not have the faintest clue to the real meaning of terror?" _Fenrir asked.

Robin thought about it for a second. "I suppose not."

_"Good, then keep walking."_

Sighing, Robin walked around the C4 and continued on despite his aching paws. He had a feeling that if he were in his human form, his feet and hands would be bruised and possibly bleeding. This long trip was becoming too much for him. He wanted to be at his destination already. Wherever that may be, anyway. Robin was traveling by instinct and to where his heart was telling him to go.

For the next forty-five minutes, Robin walked on silently, trying to ignore the pains his body was experiencing. But his thoughts kept going back to that bomb and why it had been placed there. His human brain would have figured it all out already. The mind of a wolf wasn't that smart. Robin's ears suddenly perked up and forward. Lifting his head as he stopped, he sniffed the air.

_"What is the matter now?"_

The sound Robin heard was getting louder. From the top of the trees, he saw smoke billowing into the air. Soon the ground started to shake. Robin quickly put two and two together.

"An old fashioned train that uses coal to operate is coming this way."

_"Hmm…guess the terrorists are not that dumb after all," _Fenrir said rather calmly.

Robin's eyes widened. "They want to blow up the train!"

_"Oh who gives a damn?"_

Robin growled. "I do!"

Ignoring everything else Fenrir wanted to say, Robin started running in the train's direction, having only one thing on his mind: stop the train and save the people blissfully unaware of the danger up ahead. Somehow.

_"You are insane. You cannot stop a three hundred ton train."_

"Oh yeah?" Robin asked strongly. "Watch me." The sound of the train grew increasingly louder. Soon, the front turned on a curve and came out from behind the trees. It was heading straight for Robin. "I have barely fifteen minutes to stop that train."

_"It would take a miracle."_

Robin barked out a laugh. "And here I thought you wouldn't believe in miracles!"

_"I do not."_

"Well start believing because I'm going to stop this train."

_"Not by yourself, at least," _Fenrir said. He sighed. _"I guess I will assist you then, if you are so adamant about it."_ Robin would thank him later. For now, he had to get to the back of the train and grab it to pull it to a complete stop. He was pumped; he could do this. _"I hope you know what you are doing."_

Robin wasn't going to admit that he didn't. This idea was crazy, not brilliant. He was going to put his life on the line for people he knew not. But it's what he had signed up for when he made his oath as a hero. He very well wasn't going to break it now.

Robin soon reached the front of the train and it zoomed right on by. He ran by the many cars. Halfway down, a little girl by the window was watching the trees flash by. She suddenly caught movement right before Robin ran by. When she saw him, she squealed.

"Mommy, mommy, look! A doggy is running from the train!"

The mother looked out but saw nothing. "It's not good to lie, honey. Sit down."

"I'm not lying! Hmph!"

People heard the girl and looked out in curiosity. One teenage boy with a cell phone in his hand pointed at his window.

"It isn't a dog, but it's close!"

"That boy is right! That's a red wolf! I've studied them my whole life! Look at him run!"

Soon the whole car was buzzing with people staring at Robin as he ran past them. Back outside, he was two cars away from the back door. Sliding to a stop, he leaped around, opened his mouth wide, and grabbed the edge of the platform that people could stand on. Robin felt like his fangs would break and shatter from smashing them against steel, but he managed to hang on and keep all of them. The main problem he had was trying to get a good footing. The train was moving so fast that he couldn't help but keep running clumsily. People had opened their windows and were looking out to try and see him. Some had their phones out and were trying to record him, not getting a very clear picture. Fenrir growled in Robin's head.

_"Boy, you are going to get us all killed like this. Transform and be done with it."_

Robin growled at the foul tasting steel and was trying to dig his paws into the tracks, but was unsuccessful. He didn't want to use Fenrir's powers, knowing that if he did, he'd be a step closer to losing himself for good. But he was right: if Robin didn't transform, then everyone on the train and Fenrir and himself would die by an explosion. Failure wasn't an option.

Closing his eyes tight, Robin let loose. First his fur lengthened. Then his muscles grew thicker and stronger. His body convulsed and jerked as his transformation took place. His head grew bigger, his fangs longer and sharper, and his paws grew to three times their normal size. When his paws hit the railway tie, they broke into splinters and went flying in wild directions. When Robin opened his eyes, they were completely blood red and glowed faintly. His body was wider now and he was about the size of a baby elephant. In his subconscious, Fenrir was sitting on the black floor, his eyes closed as he concentrated. Flowing, red, vein-like lines came out of his paws and traveled over the black surface of Robin's mind. They traveled through his body, splitting up to power up his paws, legs, and jaws equally. A blue, glowing light formed over his fangs and claws, making them rock-hard.

"Did you see that thing get bigger?!" a passenger yelled in amazement. "I think it's trying to stop the train!"

The peoples' yells and shouts fell on deaf ears. Robin couldn't lose his concentration if he wanted Fenrir to use his magic through him. Speaking of which, it grew stronger and flowed through him swiftly. He bit the step harder and started digging his paws into the tracks. The ties kept snapping in half as he moved through them. He started to wonder if stopping the train from the front was a better idea. It was too late now though. Any minute now and the train would reach the C4 and explode. Robin didn't have much time left. He growled louder. Pain coursed through his paws and legs, but he continued to pull on the train as hard as he could, either to stop it or tip it over.

The train wheels started groaning. The coupling rods were slowing down ever so slightly. The valve gears were screeching and sparks flew from the steel wheels. Robin continued to pull back, feeling like his teeth, gums and all, would pop out of his mouth. Blue flames sparked up his paws and forelegs, looking like magical energy. The passengers closer to the back were recording or snapping pictures of him, too amazed to be afraid of his appearance. Robin easily ignored them, not wanting to lose his concentration. His eyes were shut so tight that they felt like they would explode. Seconds later and he heard Fenrir in his head.

_"You are doing it, boy. The train is slowing down. Yank hard now. If you cannot stop this train in five minutes, we are dead. So no pressure and good luck."_

That was all the encouragement Robin needed. Snapping his eyes open, they flashed red and he jerked his head back hard. The train screeched and groaned, but was slowing down, little-by-little. With a feral snarl, Robin pulled hard a second time, amazed that the car didn't just break off completely. This massive train was a sturdy thing and he was grateful for it. If only it had been shorter though. Soon, Robin felt his body slowing down. Sparks continued to fly at him, but he ignored them. The rods were slowing down even more and the wheels weren't turning so fast anymore. Inside, the conductor heard the commotion on his train and checked his speed gauge. The needle was now at seventy miles per hour and dropping lower still. In seconds it reached sixty, then fifty, and then forty. He didn't know what was going on, so he picked up his radio receiver and spoke into it.

"Roger, how's the coal doing? The train is slowing down."

In the coal car, a bald man that shoveled coal into the firebox picked up his radio and pressed the button. "I'm still fueling it, sir."

_"That's impossible! I just said the train is slowing down!"_

"Maybe your speed gauge is wonky."

_"Roger, I'm telling you, the train is slowing down. Find out why."_

Roger sighed before pressing the button. "Yes sir."

Putting the radio back, he placed his shovel down and then left his station. Back outside, the wheels were now moving much slower. Robin was still pulling his head back as far as it could go, determined to stop the train completely. After one last, hard tug, the train rolled to a complete stop, the rods stopped turning, and the wheels groaned. Soon, all was quiet except for the people talking and the snapping of pictures being taken. Slowly letting go of the steel step, Robin stepped back and worked his jaws by opening and closing his mouth carefully. His paws and mouth were sorer than ever now. Fenrir smirked in his head.

_"Good job, boy. You will revert back in a few seconds. We should go and then find a place to rest. You deserve it."_

Back inside the train, Roger met up with the conductor at the front. "The train completely stopped, sir."

"Yes, Roger, I realize that," the conductor said, clearly annoyed. "But the question is why."

Roger looked out the window. "Well, sir, when I got off the train, I noticed something on the tracks. It's very far away. Maybe it's a good thing the train did stop; could be dangerous."

"I'll inform the passengers," the conductor said. He took the radio off its base and pushed a blue button on the side. "Hello, everyone. I apologize, but we've somehow stopped moving despite the furnace still working. My partner has informed me of a strange thing ahead of us. Please hold tight while we fix this. Thank you."

Roger was on his cell phone, calling 911. He explained to the woman on the other end what was going on. She informed him that they were sending FBI, the police, ambulances, and fire trucks right away, including bomb squad. This got him worried.

"You think there's a bomb on the tracks?"

_"Yes, sir, it is possible."_

Roger glanced at the conductor for a second. "Thank you, ma'am." He hung up the phone and then turned to his boss. "Bomb squad and everything is coming to investigate. There could be a bomb up ahead."

The conductor sighed. "My wife is going to kill me for being late."

"At least you're not dead now, sir." The conductor snorted before heading off the train, Roger following behind him. People were coming off the train, looking for Robin. He was heading away from the train, moving towards the forest. Roger and the conductor looked to where the people were looking and saw his tail enter the thicket of trees. "Hey, sir, do you think maybe-?"

"No, Roger. Just no."

"I've always thought animals were better than we gave them credit for."

The conductor exploded. "Roger, that wolf did not stop my fucking train!"

"But-"

The conductor smashed his fist into the back of Roger's head, making him flinch. "Shut up, Roger."

Roger rubbed his head. "Yes sir, sorry."

Turning back around, the conductor got back on his train to call his wife. Roger stared at the place Robin vanished from for a few more seconds before getting back on too. It was almost two hours before news vans, the police and FBI, the bomb squad, ambulances, and fire trucks arrived. Passengers got off the train and were lining up to be interviewed. Some gave reporters their video recordings and were played back live for the rest of the country to see.

_"As you can see from this recording," _a woman reporter was saying, _"the creature that stopped the train appears to be some kind of large, red dog. It has strange, glowing marks on its legs and they appear to be breaking the tracks. We have yet to hear word from specialists on how such a simple creature could stop such a fast moving, heavy train. As for the reason of the train's sudden stop, the FBI and bomb squad are still examining something on the tracks far from here. They will not let reporters get too close, in case there's a bomb or other type of explosive on the tracks. Once we have more information, you will be updated. Now, back to you, Carter."_

The camera was on the reporter for a few more seconds before it changed to the newsroom, where an anchor and co-anchor were sitting to discuss this Breaking News more.

"Thank you, Karen. In just a moment, we will replay the footage that many passengers of the train took of the animal that stopped the train. I must say, it is very interesting that this happened. We sure have been covering some strange phenomenons lately. Isn't that right, Andrew?"

The co-anchor chuckled. "Yes Carter, we have. Its amazing how long these things go unnoticed."

"Indeed." There was a pause. "Ah, well, we are ready to start the footage now, in slightly better quality. We must warn you that this may be inappropriate for younger audiences."

After a few more seconds of silence, the newsroom vanished and was quickly replaced by a recording of the Breaking News. The camera was a little shaky. It zoomed in to the corner of the back of the train, revealing Robin trying to get the train to stop. The blue energy was close to his chest now. His eyes were clenched tightly shut as he had his head pulled back all the way. People could see the individual planks of wood breaking off and flying away behind him.

Meanwhile, in the living room of a one story house, a red-headed twenty year old was lying on the full length of a couch, watching the news with wide eyes. He had been napping when the sound of the train woke him up and he saw this. He was too stunned to speak. As the train began to slow down, a much older man walked in through a hallway, a towel wrapped around his waist. He was drying his scraggly white hair with a second towel as he came up to the back of the couch. Ignoring the television, he stared down at the younger.

"What should we do for dinner tonight?"

Coming out of his shock, the redhead sat up and frantically motioned to the TV. "Slade, Slade, look! Isn't that Robin?!"

Slade blinked before slowly looking at the TV. The train had finally been stopped and Robin was moving away from it as he headed for the trees. For just a moment, he looked at the camera, giving people a quick glance of his blue eyes before rushing into the trees. Slade slowly dropped the towel around his shoulders, looking surprised. The young adult looked at him and said his name. He flinched before looking down at him.

"Yes, Red, I think it was."

**To Be Continued…**


	9. Mother Nature 2 Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: **See chapter 2

A wild Slade and Red X appeared! They will become a permanent part of the cast for this fic real soon. You just gotta wait first. In this chapter, Robin is still making his way to wherever it is he is trying to find. Though its pretty clear where that is now with the appearance of Slade and Red. What city are they in? Not telling yet! But, if you know me well enough, you already know 8D

Well, enough with my blabbering. Read on my wonderful fans!

**SladinForever**

* * *

_"Where are we going?"_

Robin rolled his eyes. "You've asked me that a million times already. Stop it."

Fenrir snorted. _"__If it was a million times, I would have had to ask it every single second."_

Stopping, Robin hunched up his shoulders, trying not to snap. He inhaled deeply before letting it out and relaxing. He started walking again. "The point is, you need to stop asking so much. I don't _know_ where I'm going, just that I know I'm going _somewhere_. Believe me, I'm just as annoyed as you are with all this walking and not knowing where it is I'm walking to. My only lead is this feeling I've had for months. So I'm trusting it for now."

_"Well, as long as we do not have anymore side stops, I should be fine, for a week or two more at least."_

"I can't promise we'll get there in fourteen days, but I'll try."

_"Also, could you run for a while? That would get us there faster."_

"Fine."

Robin stopped to stretch for a few moments before starting to run as fast as he could. He ran around trees that got in his way, avoided some strolling animals, and did some jumping on trees and pushing off them every so often to make his traveling a little fun. Plus, it was great exercise. He ran for several hours. It was a fairly warm day, even though it was cloudy. Winter was probably coming. After another hour of running, Robin slowed to a trot. Interesting scents entered his nose out of nowhere. Stopping, he lifted his head and sniffed the air. He smelled a lot of dirt that wasn't covered by grass, as well as rocks.

_"What is the matter?" _Fenrir asked.

Robin lowered his head and then continued walking. "I don't know. I'm smelling a bunch of new scents. Like, I'm smelling a lot more dirt than usual. And there's a bunch of rocks I think. And maybe the scent of people?"

_"We could be close to civilization." _That was probably it. However, everything still looked pretty much the same. _"__Hmm…we must be in a park."_

"Why do you think that?" Robin asked, tilting his eyes up.

_"I would think there were a lot of nature parks on this side of the country. Or even camping grounds."_

"I guess." Robin continued walking, keeping his ears alert and focused. Something didn't feel quite right with him. After a while, he felt a heavy weight upon him, making him stop. "Something…doesn't feel right."

_"What do you mean?"_

"I don't know, it's not something I can describe. I feel…_uncertain_, about something. It has to do with these woods I think." Sighing, Robin continued walking. It didn't take long for him to want to run again. He was really starting to hate these weird feelings, especially the one where he was trying to find someone. It had gotten even stronger ever since the train fiasco. But what did it mean? "I'm getting sick of these strange feelings, Fenrir. Can't you block them or something? Its driving me _nuts_."

"_I cannot. They are your instincts; they are a part of you. We are much more alert than most human beings are. I can, however, make it weaker, so you can slowly get used to it."_

"That's good enough for me." After a few minutes of walking, the heavy feeling was lifted and Robin felt better. "Thanks, Fen."

Fenrir blinked inside Robin's mind. It was almost strange, hearing something he was never told before. His eyes narrowed. _"…__You are welcome." _Robin nodded. After a few more minutes, his ears perked forward and his nose twitched. Lifting his head, he looked around quickly. His left ear suddenly quivered when he heard it again. _"__I think someone is in danger."_

Growling, Robin pushed hard off the ground and began to run. He zigzagged this way and that, getting scratched up by tree branches, shrubbery, and running through fallen, crinkly leaves. In the distance to his left, he heard a loud thud. Robin swiftly changed direction, running around a tree. It sounded like there was some kind of frantic struggle. Within seconds he heard a cry for help. Snarling, Robin jumped through thick, clumped branches and found himself on a shaven path. He stopped in surprise, wondering how this could have happened. Lowering his head, he sniffed the ground and smelled several new scents.

"What're these smells? They're familiar, but-"

_"This is a trail. Humans run or go hiking on them. You are smelling tennis shoes, most like. People have been here recently. Do you see the indentations in the dirt?"_

Now that he said it, Robin finally saw that there were. He heard more shouting, mostly male voices. Maybe people had been attacked by a bear? Growling, Robin ran along the path, going around a loop a minute later. He quickly slid to a stop, his eyes widening. About one hundred feet away, there was a group of about seven guys crowded around one more and a young woman. Robin's ears moved back as a growl formed in his throat.

"You…" he snarled.

Robin charged at the men gang raping the poor woman, who was struggling to get the one raping her off. One from the crowd looked up, his smirk fading.

"W-We gotta go!"

The men looked up and saw Robin charging, his fangs bared. They all practically screamed and turned, running off the path to get away. The one on the ground stopped what he was doing and looked back.

"Where the fuck are you going?! It's just a stupid dog!" When the last guy vanished from sight, the man looked back ahead. "Whatever." Hearing the pounding paw steps, the man looked up right as Robin pounced. His eyes widened when his paws slammed into his chest, shoving him off the girl. She flinched when he was forced out of her. The man bounced back across the ground. Landing in front of the woman's feet, Robin's hackles rose and his eyes flashed as he growled loudly at him. Sitting up, the man looked at him for a moment and then glared. "You dumb dog!" Snarling, Robin pounced at him again. The man scrambled away and then got to his feet. "I'll be back to kill you later!"

Turning, the man ran like a whipped dog with his tail between his legs. Robin growled after him until the woman whimpered in pain. Whipping his head around, his lips lowered over his fangs and then he turned. He carefully approached her, sniffing the area around her. He could smell blood. He had been too late to prevent the rape from happening. Coming around to her right side, Robin saw tears running down her face. He whimpered softly before licking her face gently. A cell phone lay on the ground a few feet from her head; probably had fallen out of her pocket from the attack. Despite what had happened, she smiled at him.

"Hey, that's a good boy." Robin licked her other cheek a few times. She lifted her arm and touched the side of his face. "You s-saved me." Lifting his head, Robin stared down at her with big, blue eyes. She gently pet him. "Thank you…" Laying down beside her, Robin placed his head on her collarbone. "A-Are you gonna stay w-with me until help a-arrives?" Robin growled softly in response. "Wh-What a sweet boy… Can you g-get my phone? Stretching hurts."

Robin pretended not to understand her for a few seconds before getting up and walking to her phone. With his paw, he swatted it in her direction. When it reached her forearm, she picked it up and pushed 911. When the speaker button was pushed, they could hear it ringing. Robin laid beside her again, to keep her warm.

_"…Police department. What's your emergency?"_

The woman cleared her throat. "I-I am in Reindeer P-Park. I was attacked and r-raped on my run. I'm not f-far from the parking l-lot. I'm b-bleeding."

_"Alright sweetheart, we're sending out a few patrol cars and an ambulance. You hang in there. Just keep your phone on so that they can track it."_

"Th-Thank you." The woman ended the call and then lowered her hand onto her chest. She inhaled deeply to relax herself. Robin stared off in the distance, his ears back. The woman began petting his neck and part of his back. "Y-You're so soft…" Robin turned his gaze to her. She smiled, her brown eyes swimming from the tears. "I d-didn't even know wolves l-lived in these woods."

_"They do not," _Fenrir said.

Robin ignored him. For ten minutes they laid there in silence, the woman still petting him. Not long after, sirens could be heard in the distance. The girl looked sincerely at Robin.

"You should go b-before the police shows up." Robin stared at her for a few seconds before leaning closer to her face and licking her cheek and eye. She chuckled softly. "I'll be fine. I don't want th-them to think y-you're hurting me and shoot at y-you."

Robin whimpered but soon stood up anyway. He licked her face a few more times before turning around and walking away. When he was a few feet from the curve of the path, he looked back and saw her resting. His ears went down and a light whimper appeared in his throat.

_"She is right. You better go. And find the man that did this to her. He does not deserve to get away with it."_

Turning his head away, Robin continued down the path. A few minutes later and an ambulance slowly came down the trail. It stopped thirty feet away. Police cars came up behind it and parked. As everyone assembled, a slightly chubby police officer with tousled brown hair and hazel eyes approached her.

"Ma'am?" The woman opened her eyes and saw him crouch beside her. "Are you alright?"

She shook her head. "It really hurts. A dog saved me. He stopped the r-rapist from going too f-far."

A gurney was being wheeled towards her. The police officer held his hand up to stop the medics.

"Can you describe your attacker?"

"There were e-eight boys, but only o-one managed to do anything. When the dog c-came, everyone but the o-one on me ran away. He was probably six feet tall, had black hair with r-red streaks, and I think hazel eyes."

"And can you tell me which direction they went in?"

Lifting her arm, she pointed in front of her. "They ran that way. I was running in the d-direction of the ambulance when they tackled me."

The officer nodded. "That's all I need to know. We will find them."

The woman smiled. "Thank you. And if you see the d-dog, t-tell him thanks."

The man smiled back. "Of course, ma'am." He stood up and then stepped back to allow the medics passage. Another officer came to join him. "She was running when men attacked her," he explained to his partner quietly. "Only one out of eight managed to sexually assault her before a dog came and ran them off. She gave the appearance of her attacker: black hair with red streaks and possibly hazel eyes. Sound familiar?"

The other officer nodded. "Sounds like the serial rapist and his band of goons."

"They may still be in the forest. Let's hurry and-"

"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Birds came out of the tree tops from the ear splitting scream. Everyone stopped what they were doing to listen. The scream died, but then two others came right after. And they weren't far. Turning, the two officers ran down the trail. More screams echoed through the park. For several minutes they ran in the direction of the screams, which had stopped two minutes previous. That was definitely not good. A minute later, as they came around a bend, the officer in front tripped over something and fell. The other one jumped to the side when he saw his feet, to avoid falling over him. He quickly helped his partner up before turning to the right.

"The hell-?"

Once the slight shock passed, the police officer that talked to the woman lifted his walkie-talkie and pressed a button. "We need some medics over here. Quickly."

After releasing the walkie-talkie, the officer looked at the scene before him. A group of men were covered in blood and mangled. The one with black and red hair was resting against a thick tree, his arms beside him as he stared forward with wide, dead eyes. His neck had been torn open, his face was gashed, and one arm had been torn off by the elbow. The others were just as bad: covered in their own flesh, blood, and, some of them, their insides. It was a massacre.

"What monster could have done this…?"

Up above the two officers, in a maple tree, a bald eagle stared down at the gory scene. His eyes moved back and forth and then soon narrowed.

"What have we done, Remus?"

Sighing, the bird lifted his wings and took flight, heading for the heavens.

* * *

It was raining hard. Atop a cliff that overlooked the river, Robin was staring ahead, thick, dark blood coated all over his muzzle and down his furry chest. Disappointment, sadness, and anger were in his narrowed eyes. He remembered what he had done all too clearly…

Robin heard voices up ahead. Recognizing them, he ran down the path faster. As he came around the corner, he saw the men that had attacked the woman. It seemed they had regrouped.

"Once that damn mutt leaves we'll-"

The red and black-haired man's eyes widened when Robin attacked one of his buddies. His eyes had flashed blue from the swift movement. The man he sliced his fangs into screamed and fell. When Robin landed, he attacked two others right next to each other, clawing into their flesh and biting their faces. There were more screams as he mercilessly and ruthlessly attacked more of them, spilling their blood and some of their guts. When one was on his back, he landed on him and then tore into his chest with his sharp claws. Soon, it was just the leader, who was backing up. Turning, Robin growled angrily as he approached him, his forehead and eyes covered in darkness. Walking back into a tree, the man fell and tried backing up more in fear. When Robin was three feet from him, he lifted his arm and stretched it out towards his face.

"N-Nice doggy-"

With a menacing snarl, Robin sprang forward, grabbed his arm, and pulled as hard as he could. The man screamed as his arm was torn off from his elbow. Robin dropped it and then attacked him again, his fangs, eyes, and front paws glowing. With a final fang to the neck, he stepped a few feet over and panted at the ground. He slowly looked over his shoulder a few seconds later, his eyes back to normal. Robin soon stopped breathing when he saw the carnage he had caused. His eyes widened…

_"You did what you had to do," _Fenrir said, breaking into his flashback. _"__If you had not, they would still be out there, raping more women. They deserved their fate."_

Robin continued to stare out at the horizon, the feeling of disappointment still raging within him. Once it started getting dark, he slowly stood up, stared at the setting sun a little longer, and then turned, his tail swishing around behind him.

**To Be Continued…**


	10. Mother Nature 2 Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: **See chapter 2

I've been on a computer hiatus for a few weeks, so I haven't written anything in a while. So you get two updates. One for this fic and one for Once Bitten

**SladinForever**

* * *

After a few more days, Robin crossed New York's border. It was nearing morning, when the sun would rise. He kept his head lowered as he walked, his eyes almost closed. When the first birds chirped and flew overhead, he entered a clearing. Not far away was a family of rabbits near their den, which was a giant hole in the ground. One looked up when it smelled Robin near their territory. It was about to look away when something streaked past them. The rabbit's eyes widened, its mouth falling open a bit.

"Look out!"

Stopping from the voice, Robin started to look over his shoulder. "Wha-?"

"RRRRAWR!"

Robin was forced to the right when something lanky, big, and white slammed into him. They tumbled further away from the rabbit family. He was quickly kicked in the stomach. He flew through the air, rolling sideways. After crashing into the ground, he rolled twice more, bounced, and then landed with a loud whump. His back legs swung around and then he slid back a few feet before finally stopping on his stomach. Closing his eyes tight, he pushed his body up with his paws, growling.

"What the hell—? What?" Robin had looked up and opened his eyes before he could finish. Something quickly flashed in his mind: a human boy with black hair, a wolf tail and ears, and blue eyes, hiding inside a bush and leaning hard against a tree. He looked around the trunk and saw— "You!"

A white cat tail swished back and forth through the air. Fenrir growled inside Robin's head.

_"We need to be far away from him, otherwise we could be killed."_

Standing a few feet from Robin was a large white panther. The way he was staring at him made him look sophisticated. Maybe he was a prince? He took a step towards Robin.

"So, Fenrir, we meet at last." Even his voice sounded sophisticated; deep and drawling. He looked Robin up and down a few times. "The gods are more cruel than I realized. The fact they would put an almighty being such as yourself inside this _weak _and _pathetic_ human brat is proof of that."

_"Let me take over. It is about time I faced this arrogant Duke."_

Robin growled weakly at the panther. "Who are you? What do you want?"

"My name is Abyss. And I am here to kill Fenrir. His family has been my family's mortal enemy for millennia. But since we live on opposite sides of the vast heavens, we have been waiting for the day when Fenrir came to Earth in order to strike one of their own down. If you wish to live, mortal, I suggest you get rid of him."

Robin swallowed nervously. "I can't. He's attached to my soul. Only very powerful magic can separate us."

Abyss hummed softly. "Then you will die with him."

Before Robin could do anything else, Abyss pounced at him, his claws extending to their full length.

_"Move!"_

Abyss swiped at Robin's face, catching him directly in the muzzle. His head jerked to the side and then he was suddenly off his paws, flying through the air. He crashed into the ground and then slid back. Abyss landed where he had been and then turned the front half of his long body around.

"So you _are_ as pathetic as I thought. Your family must want you dead if they put you in that body."

Robin pushed himself up onto his front paws. "You know nothing about me." He began to stand. "I'm not as weak as you claim me to be."

"Foolish mortal." Turning all the way around, Abyss approached him. "I can sense how weak you are. And you are no match for me, even if Fenrir took over. So prepare to die."

Abyss charged. Growling, Robin faced him head on, baring his fangs. Abyss pounced at him again.

"HRRRRAAR!"

Robin launched himself straight at Abyss. A ring of blue and red energy appeared from his head and traveled along his body, morphing him into Fenrir as he took control. They met in the middle, their paws hitting each others' chests. Abyss was quickly forced onto his back. He wasn't down for long. With his back paws, he kicked Fenrir in the stomach and rolled. Fenrir was sent head over heels through the air before he crashed on his upper back. He fell down the rest of the way and then rolled onto his stomach. Abyss jumped at him, his fangs bared. When he was a foot away, Fenrir pushed off the ground and locked jaws with him. Abyss clawed him in the chest while Fenrir clawed him in the throat. He shoved himself away, landing back on his thick, white paws. Spinning around when Fenrir tried a tackle, he whipped the end of his tail out, catching him in the mouth. It stung pretty badly. Fenrir crashed sideways into the ground. He quickly got up and jumped at his back this time.

"Pathetic."

Abyss whipped his tail at his face again. Fenrir's mouth shot open and the tail tip went right through the gap sideways. He quickly grabbed it with his fangs before it could get away. Landing on his paws, he pulled hard. Abyss howled in rage. Spinning his lanky body around, he swatted at Fenrir's face with his right paw. Pushing hard into the ground, Fenrir jumped high into the air and then jerked his head to the right. As he spun, Abyss sailed through the air, yowling in surprise. As Fenrir neared the ground, he opened his mouth and let the tail free. Abyss flew forward towards a thick tree. He quickly braced his paws, landed on the side, and then turned so he could jump down, to prevent damage. Fenrir crashed onto his shoulder, but quickly got up and shook himself. Abyss looked impressed.

"You are very clever, Fenrir. You made me believe you were stupid in falling for the same trick twice, but you bested me. But know this—" Spreading his legs out and tucking his head in, Abyss began to power up. Fenrir braced himself, growling with his fangs half exposed. The panther's eyes glowed silver and then spread down his head, neck, and his body. When the glow passed, his head was bigger and his fur looked like electricity, it had gotten so long and wavy. His legs looked stronger and he was now twice the size of Fenrir. Soon, the glow vanished at the tip of his tail, which now had a bone sticking out that looked like a cutlass. As Abyss spoke, his voice was deeper. "—I will not be fooled again!"

Abyss suddenly vanished. Fenrir stopped growling from surprise, his mouth still open. He was suddenly sent flying backwards towards a cliff rock face. His whole body slammed into it, his spine and back cracking. As he began to fall on all four paws, Abyss was right under him, slamming his thick head into his stomach and chest. They both flew high into the air. Snarling, Fenrir forced his paws into his back and managed to shove his body away sideways. Abyss slammed his claws into the rock. Placing his back paws on the cliff, he looked over and saw Fenrir do the same. The only difference was that he was horizontal and the opposite way. Pushing off to the right, Abyss jumped at him.

Pushing off with his back paws, Fenrir curved around so he faced the top of the cliff and then started running up the side. Abyss landed where he had been, fell down the side a few feet with his claws, and then looked up. Fenrir jumped from ledge to ledge, his paws slipping sometimes. Snarling, Abyss chased after him, running as swift as a hummingbird could fly. Fenrir was halfway to the top when Abyss made a giant leap for his back legs. His eyes widened when he felt claws dig into them. He lost his grip and fell. Abyss used that to his advantage by jumping onto his back and digging his sharp claws in around his spine. With a shove of his back legs, he sent Fenrir tumbling down the side. His back smashed into a protruding rock and his legs fell so he was lying on his side. His eyes clenched tightly together as he growled in pain. Abyss dug his claws into the cliff and then looked over his shoulder and down. What he saw made him snort in amusement.

"So you want more, pup?"

Fenrir pushed himself to his paws, his back cracking loudly as his vertebrae were put back into place. Turning to face him, Abyss dove, his claws ready. Hearing the heavy body coming, Fenrir looked up, growled as his ears went back, and then jumped. They soon met in the middle, claws and fangs clashing. Fenrir cut into his cheek while Abyss put deep marks in the side of his neck. Then they both pushed away from each other, landed sideways a few feet away, and then pounced again. Abyss slammed into him first, forcing him backwards. Opening his mouth wide and forming red energy around his fangs, Fenrir slammed them into his neck and bit down as hard as he could. Abyss howled as blood burst from the wound. With him distracted, Fenrir pulled his head back and then rolled in mid-air. He then kicked him in the gut, making him rise higher in the air when he detached his fangs from him.

Abyss crashed into the side of the cliff. The bone at the end of his tail slammed into the rock before he fell. His tail was pulled taut when he finished plummeting. He growled in pain when the bones nearly broke apart at the base. Slowly lowering his paws, he grabbed on and then slowly pulled his tail free.

"Do you still think me weak, arrogant bastard?" Slowly, Abyss turned himself around, digging his claws into the rock. When he was almost the other direction, he looked up and saw Fenrir looking down at him from a small alcove. "Because I think I have proven my strength."

Abyss glared up at him, growling low in his throat. "You and I will never be equals!" he snarled

Throwing his head back, Fenrir started to laugh. "Gaha! Equals?! You think that is what I am trying to prove?!" Calming down, Fenrir smirked down at him. "You dumb prince. Before this day is done, it is _I _who will be the victor. You mark my words, itty bitty, kitty-cat!"

Snarling at the kitty comment, Abyss launched himself into the air. Chuckling, Fenrir turned around and began to climb again. He glanced back often to see how far away he was to catching up. Looking back up, he jumped this way and that to get to the top faster.

_"Why did you have to provoke him?" _Robin asked inside Fenrir's mind.

Fenrir smirked. _'Hmph, in case you do not notice, he is angry. Anger makes mortals and immortals alike sloppy. This will finish the fight quickly.'_

Robin's eyes narrowed. _"I already know that. My point is, you should fight fair, not use dirty tricks. That only makes you a coward."_

Finally reaching the top, Fenrir easily curved over the ledge and landed a few feet away. He ran to the center of the large cliff and then turned around. "Sometimes, kid, life is_ not_ fair." After thirty or more seconds, Abyss pulled himself up, shook himself loose, and then approached him. "It is time to end this, Duke. Are you ready to lose your life?"

Abyss stopped a few feet from him. "It is you who will die this day, mutt!"

Without warning, Abyss launched himself straight at Fenrir. He easily dodged to the side, turning. Abyss landed, quickly faced him, and attacked with a few swifts swats of his front paws. Fenrir stepped back lazily, seeing every move he would make before he even made it. This is how anger worked to his advantage. Snarling, Abyss pounced again, but Fenrir merely ducked. He sailed right over him. Once he landed, he whipped out his cutlass tail at his back legs, to try and wrap around one. Fenrir jumped high, the tail passing where he had been standing. As he fell back down, he turned in mid-air, landed on all four paws, and then jumped high in the air. Abyss whipped around and then quickly looked up, his growl faltering and his eyes widening. He swiftly got on his back paws as Fenrir came down at him, his fangs glinting in the light.

Their fangs crashed into each other as Abyss fell over backwards. Fenrir had his claws in his chest, drawing blood. They snarled and snapped at each other as they rolled around the top of the cliff, coming close to rolling off twice. Blood flew around and splattered the rock and their faces. When Fenrir had Abyss on his back, he pulled his head back and clawed him in the nose. Abyss snarled in pain as the flesh of his pink nose shredded. Getting on his hind legs, Fenrir started repeatedly slapping him in the muzzle, barely giving him enough time to defend himself. When he couldn't stay standing after a few seconds, he landed on his right front paw and then came with a sideways arc at the side of his face with his left. As Abyss was thrown in a diagonal angle, his back legs hit Fenrir's back left. He performed the splits before the long cat tail wrapped around the base of his paw and the bone pierced into the thin flesh. Abyss yanked on his tail, forcing Fenrir off his paws. He landed on his side and was dragged across the ground. Placing his front paws down, Abyss dug his claws in. His body swerved around and his tail released his leg, throwing Fenrir towards the end of the cliff.

Fenrir flew through the air. He rolled backwards before plummeting. His stomach hit the edge of the cliff and he slid down. He tried desperately to stop from falling off completely, but his claws broke through the rock. Soon, his paws were the only thing left. With a snarl, he pulled his head back and then slammed his fangs into the rock. He jerked down a few more inches, but managed to hang on. Just the tips of his toes were holding onto the edge of the cliff now. His gums ached from the jerking motion. Carefully, he lifted his back paws and placed them against the cliff. He carefully pulled his teeth out of the holes and then he worked his jaw. It popped back into alignment. Taking a deep breath, he looked up and saw Abyss's face. He stopped a foot from his toes, smirking down at him.

"You are quick, I will give you that. You are also very clever by making me mad." He stepped closer. "I realized my mistake after you smacked me so much." Abyss was now almost on top of him. Fenrir growled, pushing up with his back paws. He suddenly snarled with his eyes shut tight when Abyss grabbed his paws with his claws, digging them deep into his thin flesh and drawing blood. "Now I would say "long live the prince" but, seeing as you are not…" Darkness covered Fenrir's face. Abyss chuckled darkly. "Say hello to your mother." Gripping him tighter, Abyss quickly threw up his paws. "In Hell!"

Fenrir fell, his back facing the bottom of the cliff. As he opened his mouth, a beam of red energy shot up from his throat and skyrocketed towards Abyss's head. He tried to jump back, but was too late. What appeared to be a clawed hand grabbed around his forehead and cheeks and pulled him right over the edge. Opening his eye a crack, Fenrir absorbed the end of the claw back into his body and then jerked his head to the side. Abyss began to fall even faster, his body crashing into the rock. Chunks of it fell from the air when he broke them off. Fenrir rolled, his legs facing the ground. Abyss hit a ledge and then bounced off. He sailed over Fenrir's head. The red clawed hand suddenly released him and then vanished in the wind. Forming energy around his paws almost instantly, Fenrir shoved them into Abyss's side and then shoved off hard. He flew back into the air while Abyss continued to fall.

_"Hurry up and grab something!" _Robin yelled.

Closing his eyes, Fenrir pictured the top of the cliff in his head and then vanished within seconds. Back on the top of the cliff, both Abyss and Fenrir landed, but only Fenrir managed to land on his paws. Abyss, on the other hand, crashed onto his stomach, his back legs stretched all the way out behind him. He was motionless for a few seconds before dragging his left legs towards him and then attempting to stand. His cutlass tail lashed back and forth, to help him with his balance.

"Do you give up yet?" Fenrir asked.

Abyss stood on shaking legs, which were slightly bent. His face was neutral before a smirk formed and he started to chuckle. "Ehehehehehe… Foolish mutt."

Fenrir's eyes widened underneath a furrowed brow. Standing up straight, Abyss turned sideways, keeping his eyes towards the ground. So far, there hadn't been any natural disturbances, but then something began to change. As yellow energy formed around his paws, the wind came, slow at first. When the energy moved higher up his legs, the wind picked up speed. Fenrir took a step back when Abyss's body flashed and something started coming out of his shoulders, back of the neck, and along his spine. His energy was now around his chest and stomach and moving higher still. The things coming out from inside his body flashed repeatedly. Whatever was happening, Fenrir didn't like it.

_"I think he's transforming."_

Fenrir growled. _'Looks that way. I had no idea he had two forms.'_

_"And you don't?"_

_'I do, but I am not strong enough yet to use it. The Duke, on the other hand…' _Abyss's energy finished covering the top of his head and the end of his boney tail. The things on his spine, shoulders, and neck appeared to be ivory spikes, some curving over the top and sides of his head. _'Shit, now I remember. His entire lineage has the ability to transform their bones into either armor or weapons. He is going to make it much harder to break through his defenses. We will have to get underneath him and grab around his throat. There is no room for mistakes on this one.'_

Robin looked on in worry. The bones were pointed sharp, much like the one on the end of Abyss's tail. The bones along his spine were almost completely around his sides, leaving a few inches gap in between each one. He was becoming his own personal shield.

_"I don't want you to use it, but that beam that comes from your mouth is looking friendly right about now," _Robin said.

_'I have to grab his throat first.'_

After a few more seconds, Abyss's entire body flashed brightly, like a beacon. When it disappeared, he turned his bone-protected head, saw the uncertain expression on Fenrir's face, and grinned maliciously. He slowly turned around to face him.

"Do you still think you can win, Fenrir?"

Gritting his teeth, Fenrir growled and then charged. Abyss stood his ground, the evil grin still on his face. When Fenrir pounced, the bones around the left side of Abyss's head burst out, catching Fenrir in the face and chest. The sharp ends cut into him. Before he was thrown backwards, Robin caught a glimpse of something within Abyss. His eyes widened.

_'What is that?'_

Robin tried to get a better look, but couldn't because Fenrir closed his eyes as he flew back. He crashed headfirst and then was quickly rammed in the spine by Abyss's mask. He flipped and landed on his stomach, sliding back a few inches. He lifted his head seconds before sharp claws arced under and caught him in the chest. Fenrir flew into the air, blood dripping from his chest. Abyss jumped after him, fangs and bones ready to strike. Opening an eye, Fenrir tried to scratch what little of his exposed face that he could, but he jerked his head to slam the bones into his leg. Fenrir jerked his body around and slammed his back legs into his exposed side. They both slammed into the ground, Abyss's bones leaving a crater in their wake. The ones in Fenrir's leg came free before Abyss threw him off with his elongated vertebrae coming away from his ribs.

Fenrir rolled towards the other end of the cliff. He slid to a stop before getting up on shaking legs. Rolling over, Abyss stood up, repositioned the bones, and began forming something between several of the tips in front of his chest. Fenrir shook himself before charging. Pain ruptured through his punctured leg, but he ignored it. It was already healing anyway. Several yellow balls of energy formed in front of Abyss, some smaller than others. He started firing them one at a time, more forming to replace those, straight at Fenrir. He swerved in and out of them to dodge. Some landed just inches from his paws and he tripped once, but managed to keep his balance. When he was feet away, Abyss absorbed the energy together to make one giant ball, which began to spark with electricity. He quickly fired it.

Snarling, Fenrir jumped up when the ball was close, landed on it, and then jumped off, high into the air. Abyss looked up seconds before his bleeding paws made contact with the bone mask. Then something strange happened. Time seemed to stop and everything was in vibrant colors, like stained glass. Robin's eyes slowly widened when he stared directly at Abyss. His eyes adjusted and he saw a small, curled form within him. It was wrapped in strange lines that pulsed with yellow energy. When Robin stared long enough at it, he saw quick flashes of talking to a brown-skinned boy his age with black ears and a long, winding black cat tail. They argued before Robin pounced on him and was ready to claw him in the face when a girl's voice stopped him. He looked up and saw Rosie pleading at him with her eyes.

_"Please, get off him. Noah's still wounded from his last Coliseum battle."_

Robin blinked at the name. The sudden sensation of flying back brought him back to the present. Fenrir rolled and then landed on his paws, stumbling slightly. He was panting heavily as he looked up at Abyss. His bones slowly went back into position around him.

"So you can still manage to stand? I am actually impressed!" Fenrir growled weakly at him. "How many more times must I cut you open before you realize you are only delaying the inevitable? You cannot beat me! You are weak and pathetic, just like your entire family!"

That struck a nerve. Howling in rage, Fenrir practically threw himself at him. Abyss swiftly rammed his head into his chest, hearing ribs crack. Fenrir's eyes almost popped out of his head and his mouth flew open as blood burst from his throat. When they fell, Abyss slammed him into the rock. He instantly jumped back and landed by his tail. Fenrir barely felt Abyss grab one of his legs with his fangs, lift him off the ground, and then slam him back down. A few places of his spine shattered. Abyss spun around, slammed him into a different place on the cliff, and then threw him into the air. He instantly jumped high above him, rolled, and then whacked his whip-like tail into the back of his head and neck. Fenrir flew straight down, his head going right through the rock. When it was up to his shoulders, his back legs fell and he was bent over backwards. Beneath the surface, his eyes were shut and his mouth was wide open and bleeding. Abyss landed one paw at a time a few feet away. He then glanced back at him, sneering.

"If only the great _prince_ could see his little Fen now."

The wind blew through Fenrir's fur. He remained motionless for half a minute before he slowly opened his eyes halfway. Pain spread all the way through him, like water under a bridge. Closing his mouth and gritting his teeth, he made himself flip his body over and then slowly pulled his head out. He sat down, rock particles falling from his ears and top of his head. His ears righted themselves after being bent over his forehead. Tilting his head up, he cracked his neck and shoulders. Abyss turned around and approached him. When he was loose, Fenrir lowered his head back down, staring at the hole in the cliff. Robin could sense Abyss getting closer.

_"What are you doing? Get up! Do you want us to die?!"_

"Shut up."

Abyss stopped in confusion. "What?"

Most of his spine was mended back together. Fenrir slowly looked over his shoulder, a deep, dark glare plastered on his face. Abyss swallowed unintentionally at the look.

"I said to shut up."

Abyss chuckled. "Or _what_?" When the last vertebrae was back into place, Fenrir vanished and then reappeared above him. Abyss didn't have enough time to move as he came down and landed on his back. "RAAAAWR!" Fenrir dug his back claws into his unprotected flank and then pierced his fangs into his neck, right between two bones. Abyss started to thrash around, trying to buck him off. "You brat! Get off me!"

Fenrir dug his teeth in harder, drawing blood. His head jerked around wildly. Abyss ran in a circle and then got onto his hind legs. Stepping back a few times, he reached around him and grabbed Fenrir directly above the shoulder with his claws. He yanked hard, managing to get him off most of the way. Forming energy around his left paw, Fenrir thrust it towards his chest. The bones came around to block, but they easily shattered. Still on his hind paws, Abyss froze, his eyes wide. Blood splattered the ground. Fenrir yanked his paw out of his chest and then kicked his back paws into his stomach. Abyss flew back as Fenrir landed on his shoulder and side. He heard Abyss crash near the end of the cliff. Relaxing, Fenrir looked over his shoulder and saw the bones begin to return to Abyss's body.

After a few seconds of silence, Fenrir carefully rolled over and pushed himself to his paws. His body shook from fatigue. He turned his right paw to turn. Abyss was curled in on himself, growling in pain as the hole in his chest began to heal. Once facing him, Fenrir took a shaking step towards him. He panted and growled weakly with each step.

_"Fenrir, let's just go. He can't fight back. There's no point killing him."_

_'Idiot. He can heal too. He will come after us the moment he regains his strength.'_

Robin growled. _"Let me put this a different way: if you kill him, you kill his host."_

Fenrir stopped, confused. _'What?'_

_"Abyss is attached to the soul of someone I once knew, but forgot about until I saw him. He's covered and wrapped in tendrils of energy within him. His host is the one I promised to find and save Rosie. I won't let you kill Abyss if it means killing my friend too."_

Fenrir was silent for a moment. Abyss was starting to lift himself off the ground. Fenrir's eyes narrowed in a glare. "Is it true that you attached your soul to a human's?"

Abyss's ear twitched. He slowly looked up. "And why should I tell you?"

"My host saw the human you are attached to. So you broke your family's covenant?"

Robin's brow furrowed in confusion. _"Covenant?"_

Fenrir didn't answer. Abyss suddenly snorted. "Unlike you, Fenrir, I do not break the laws passed down by my people. We would never attach our souls to another, especially not a human's, because we know the consequences in doing so. So, no, I am merely borrowing this body to kill you. Once that is done, I will release him, without any memory of me. There is a difference between borrowing and taking. I am actually doing your host a favor by killing you. Then he will never know all of the side effects of soul attachment."

Robin's eyes narrowed. _"All of them? What is he talking about?"_

_'Forget it. You will find out eventually. Now that your worry is quenched, I have no qualms about killing him.'_

With having some strength back, Fenrir charged Abyss head on. Snarling, Abyss took a few running steps before pouncing. His claws extended seconds before his paws landed on Fenrir's shoulders. Opening his mouth wide, he thrust his head up and grabbed his throat. Abyss tried to pull free by shoving into his shoulders, but it was too late. Fangs pierced his jugular, blood bursting into Fenrir's mouth. Forming energy around his fangs, he pulled his head back and slammed his back paws into Abyss's stomach. As he shoved his legs upward, there was the sound of something tearing and then-

"GRRRAWWWWWWWR!"

Time seemed to slow. Fenrir fell back while Abyss rose higher into the air. Blood and chunks of flesh flew from his neck. His eyes slowly widened in surprise at what just happened. He almost couldn't believe it. Having lost the last of his strength with that attack, Fenrir's mouth went slack and began to open. Abyss's torn throat fell out, rising in the air before curving and falling past his head. When he crashed into the ground, creating a giant crater, time regained speed. Seconds later, there was another crash far away. Both Fenrir and Abyss lay in their respected holes on their backs, neither moving. The wind became a hard gust, sweeping rock particles across the ground. With almost all of his power gone, Abyss's body became transparent, like a ghost. He rose into the air, leaving behind Noah's body, naked and unconscious. His cat tail and ears slowly dissolved away. Abyss stared down at him with almost closed eyes.

_"Please forgive me for using you. I have learned much about you, Noah, and I hope you will make the man who threw you away pay for his crimes. From now on, I will watch over you. Please, be careful and I will pray that you find your mother soon. You will never remember me, but I am still imprinted on your powerful heart."_

Closing his eyes all the way, Abyss vanished in seconds, returning to his realm in Heaven. Back on the cliff, Fenrir stirred. His eyes fluttered open before shutting again as he groaned. Slowly rolling onto his stomach, he laid with his front legs outstretched. He shook his head, rocks and dust falling from it and his ears. Pain spread through his entire body. Within seconds, his body shrunk and he was Robin again. Panting, he pushed himself shakily to his paws and then tried turning around. With a hissing growl, he stepped forward, dragging his body out of the crater. He slowly made his way over to Noah, his right eye closed. Blood caked his body. It took almost a minute to reach the huddled form embedded in the rock ground. Lifting his heavy head, he examined him, to make sure he was okay. He was merely unconscious or in a small coma, he couldn't tell which.

Suddenly, Robin felt pain all the way through him. He stumbled forward, falling beside Noah. His back legs began to change shape and his ears and tail were shrinking. Laying completely still in the hole, Robin's eyes opened a bit. In front of him were his arms, bare and covered in dust and blood. As the wind blew again, he felt chills run through him. After so many months, Robin was back in his human form. But why? Was it because he was dying?

_Robin… _He knew that voice. _You can stop now. It's over. You don't have to fight anymore._

As soon as the voice finished, Fenrir cut in, sounding very tired. _"I will let you rest for a while. Enjoy your human self while you still can."_

Robin wanted to ask him what he meant, but his eyes rolled up into his head and he drifted into absolute darkness…

**To Be Continued…**


	11. Mother Nature 2 Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: **See chapter 2

I am unsure when the next update will be since I've barely scratched the surface of the next chapter. I'll get to it as soon as I can

**SladinForever**

* * *

There was nothing but vast, pitch black, empty space. No landmarks, no places, no people, just emptiness. But there was an echo. A strange sounding, unidentifiable echo. It grew louder and louder. Soon, something began to appear. Out of the darkness came a flash of red. Something was running, but getting nowhere. The echo began to disappear to make a more definite sound. It became the panting of breath. Then the red began to take form. Furry legs and thick, heavy paws appeared. A strong chest branched off and a pointy-eared head came from the neck. A back and bushy tail extended from behind and then there was a bright white flash.

Robin was running; running for something. His panting was the perfect sign that he had been running for a long time. Where was he planning on going? There was nothing out there in the darkness. He was the only one there… But Robin kept on running. It didn't matter how tired he was, he couldn't stop. He needed to find it. To find that one thing that called out to him, in every dark corner of his mind. His eyes began to close and as they did, he heard it more clear. A voice was speaking to him; a voice he knew but couldn't remember. A growl formed in his throat.

"Wh-Who are you? Please, tell me!"

_I will- f-find…you…_

The voice was static, almost metallic to his ears. Robin growled louder, unable to understand…

"I know you! I know I do! I just can't remember! Help me remember!" The voice began to fade and his growl echoed in the darkness. "Tell me! Tell me who you ARE!"

Something screeched and cracked beneath his left paw. Thin lines branched out in all directions. When he applied pressure, it shattered into a million pieces and he began to plummet; plummeting in the deepest, most darkest corners of nothing…

* * *

There was a bright flash. The darkness vanished to be replaced by dim light. Lying on his right side on something soft, yet firm, Robin's eyes stirred behind his eyelids. He felt something warm and heavy lying on top of him. Clenching his eyes tightly, he slowly opened them and then blinked a few times. From that position, he could see that he was on a bed with a nightstand almost a foot from his face. Moving just his eyes, he looked around and saw smooth, white walls. Robin then began to lift his head. Putting his hands down, he pushed himself up, a blanket falling off his shoulders and chest. He was now sitting, his head swimming slightly. Lifting his hands, he placed them over his eyes and tried to think back to what happened. Flashes of tearing the white panther's throat out filled the darkness and seeing his wide eyes as he was killed. He then saw himself falling to the ground, his large body shrinking and his fur shortening. Once he landed on his side, the memory ended and he lowered his hands.

Robin looked around the rest of the room. There was a dresser, closet, and a desk with a computer sitting on it. He blinked several times. For some reason, he felt like he had been there before. Except, he couldn't remember the actual event he was sensing. As silent as a cat, he turned towards the edge of the bed and slowly stood up. His legs wobbled from lack of use, which made him wonder how long he had been asleep. Ignoring that for now, he carefully walked around the bed and headed for the door, which was slightly ajar. He pushed it open and glanced out. There didn't seem to be anyone around, so he tip-toed out and made his way through a short hall. When he reached the end, he looked around both corners swiftly, but was suddenly hit with a blast of something that smelled good. Feeling like he already knew what he would find, he continued walking.

In just twenty steps, Robin reached the doorway into a kitchen connected to a small dining room. He stopped to look at the stove. There was something cooking, unattended. Now why would someone leave perfectly good food by itself? Snorting softly, Robin decided he didn't want to know. He took a step back to turn, but bumped into something. His eyes widened when he felt something lightly land on his hips. He quickly spun around and backed into the room. His breath hitched when he saw a white-haired man with a steel blue eye and only wearing jeans standing there. He was smiling gently.

"I didn't mean to frighten you, little bird." Robin's mind reeled for a moment. Who was this guy? He seemed familiar, but where-? The man's smile fell and his eyes narrowed. "Robin-?"

Robin was about to ask him who he was when he saw sudden flashes of a past he didn't remember. He first saw himself asking a small person in a green jumpsuit "who is—?" but the name he said was unheard. Then he saw a teen wearing all black with a skull mask on his face, with a red X on the forehead. He stood in front of a man all in armor and wearing a two-toned mask while the teen held three different colored disks in his right hand. Robots of two types stood behind both men, trapping them in the middle of a vast room. The man said Robin's name before something snatched the disks out of his hand, which the man easily caught when it reached him. When a strange group of people came in, the image changed to Robin—wearing his old hero outfit—standing on the roof with the masked man, the skull masked kid no longer in sight. They talked before beginning a battle in front of a blaring red sign with Japanese writing on it, the man countering each move Robin attempted.

This flashback instantly changed to him gripping the edge of the roof with one hand, which cracked and then broke. He began to fall, but a gloved hand grabbed his wrist, preventing an inevitable death on the sidewalk a hundred feet below. When he looked up, he saw the man staring down at him with a narrowed eye. Robin wondered why he had saved him, in which he replied before throwing him back up onto the roof. When he regained his footing, they began to fight again, Robin managing to win in the end. With the man on the ground, he grabbed a hold of him and then threw the mask off. His eyes widened when there was a screen instead of a person's face. The man spoke to him before a red five appeared on screen. It started to count down. So, out of reflex, Robin jumped away before the robot exploded, leaving behind a smoldering pile of ash.

Then the flashback changed to Robin running after the masked man in a wasteland with cliffs and mountains. The sky and landscape was a strange purple hue, which didn't look very natural. Was this part of a dream? Near the end of a far away cliff, the man took a giant leap and landed on the cliff below with ease. Robin had a slightly harder time, but he ended the fall in a roll before standing up and searching for the man, who seemed to have disappeared. He walked within several statue-like rock pillars, being cautious. The man suddenly appeared out from behind one of the rocks and approached him. Robin attacked and they fought ruthlessly. He missed every punch and kick, hitting the pillars instead. All of them soon fell, creating large clouds of dust and debris. Robin appeared out of one large cloud, looking around for the man again. Almost echoing around him was the man's voice as he made conversation, telling Robin how alike the two were. Getting angry, he spun around and managed to punch the man in the face with an uppercut. The dust quickly cleared as Robin leaned over him and lifted him towards his face. He told him they were nothing alike and that all he cared about was destruction. The next thing the man said made his heart stop as he looked around.

The flashback changed to Robin talking to the man on a giant screen as he told him and the people around him about a machine that could stop time called the chronoton detonator. If they didn't stop it, then everyone in the city would be frozen forever. Robin demanded that he tell him where it was, but he was only given a bit of advice before the connection was cut. The scene quickly changed to the sound of an explosion and Robin entering an underground room, where the man was waiting. He gave the teen a chance to take the detonator button from him by fighting for it. Robin tried everything he could think of to get the remote, but the man kept knocking him away like it was nothing. Robin eventually got so frustrated that he started beating the crap out of him and then was able to get the detonator. As he held it in his hand, electricity sparked around it and the detonator short circuited before breaking. Robin's eyes widened in surprise as the man came out of the darkness.

The man explained that he merely used the chronoton detonator as bait to lure Robin out and away from his team. His true plan was to infect them with probes that, if activated, would kill their host from the inside out. If Robin wished for them to live, then he would join him to be his apprentice, doing whatever he asked. Needless to say, Robin was stunned. In the end, he agreed to his terms. Under a single spotlight, he changed into a colorless uniform, one half of his chest orange, with metal plates on his arms, legs, and around his neck. A sleek utility belt clamped snugly around his waist. After placing a metal S to his chest, he looked up, his masked eyes different. The man came out of the darkness behind him.

_It may seem bad now, but trust me: you'll learn to __**like**__ it._

After the man walked away, the spotlight vanished and the memory changed. Robin saw himself steal, hurt people, and then return to this despicable man, bent on defying him and getting the upper hand. But it was useless, he was too weak. Too weak to stop him and escape. The people from before returned and more fighting happened. Soon, Robin cracked that damn mask in half, forcing the man to retreat, his face still hidden. Robin escaped with the four he didn't know, but felt strongly towards.

After more flashbacks with Robin and this man he still had trouble remembering, a red wolf was running through the streets, being chased by another man with a snare. He managed to escape, only to run into the masked man that seemed to haunt him. But he let him go, Robin not knowing the true reason why. It was quickly made clear when the snare looped around his head. The masked man saved him, but then injected him with a tranquilizer and he blacked out. When he came around, he was in a large room, a leather leash wrapped tight around the upper part of his muzzle. Several times the man came to see him, giving him food or rubbing his head. Eventually he told the wolf he knew who he was, which angered him. But he promised to cure him of his problem, which he only managed halfway after several more days. He regained his human form, but the tail and ears stayed.

The image changed yet again and the two were in a completely new environment. They were in a normal looking house, even though the man was _far_ from normal. They were in a kitchen. Robin was waiting for a plate of food after waking up. He ate, talking to the man, even though the previous events showed that they were enemies. Several flashbacks after were of Robin resting, exercising, doing fun activities with the still masked man, and then being shot by someone else. When he awoke, he was being taken care of. Eventually the bond grew between Robin and the man he still didn't know the name of, going so far as to build a romantic relationship with him, which was slightly strange, to say the least. They had a date, fought over some really petty things, and eventually the relationship grew into a sexual one. Robin seemed to stop caring at that point, though he hated to admit he was afraid.

One morning, after breakfast, Robin took a shower and then relaxed for only a few minutes before the man joined him. He was annoyed at him, but it changed to something better rather fast. Robin soon had a revelation as he was being handled and caressed. He was still afraid, but he was willing to go a step farther. They were now in the man's bed, Robin enjoying every second of him buried deep within him. He hadn't felt anything like it in his entire life. In the end, they were both satisfied and began to rest. The life altering moment was quickly ruined when something attacked the man, knocking him unconscious. Robin laid on him, probably to protect him from any other danger. He felt like he owed the man for everything he had done for him. He didn't know why this was, but he found that he didn't care. Love and adoration is what he felt for this still unknown man.

The memory changed. Robin awoke to a strange noise and he was about ready to pounce when a steel cable loop came around his neck and yanked him to the floor. A voice spoke to him, but he didn't see anyone but blurred images. The unconscious man was threatened by another. If Robin didn't go with him, the man would die. For his safety, he left him behind, mentally telling him to find him. The memory faded and, what felt like weeks, was with the masked man again, who arrived to save him. Robin asked for his help, to free some children, and they concocted a plan. It succeeded and then Robin found himself lying on the floor, bleeding. In the distance, he faintly saw the man that he grew to love, speaking to him.

_Robin, you need to transform. If it will save your life, then I want you to do it. I don't want to lose you the same way I lost her. _

Robin didn't know what he meant, but it didn't matter. So, he got up and transformed, his wounds healing on their own. With encouragement from the other man, he charged a giant snow leopard. The memory faded into another of Robin on his back with red energy flowing around him. He was being comforted by his savior, who was telling him he could fight back whatever was trying to control him. Before his eyes closed, the memory changed to where the man was helping him up into a sitting position. He explained what had happened before the memory changed and they were in a different building, in front of hundreds of kids. Robin spoke to them, apologizing for the mess he put them in, though he didn't know what that mess was. The memory vanished to be replaced by Robin handing the man a book and telling him something. He would leave, to find the ones already sold.

After a final, passionate kiss from the man and Robin turned around to leave, the flashbacks slowly disappeared from his mind. After what felt like hours was actually only a few seconds. The moment his eyes readjusted, a sudden, huge wave of dizziness passed through Robin. It was so bad that he stumbled back, almost falling. Before he could hurt himself, the man grabbed his arm and helped steady him on his feet. Closing his eyes tight, Robin placed a hand to the side of his head.

"Are you alright?" the man asked, sounding worried.

Robin opened his eyes, looking straight at him, and heard himself ask, 'Who is Slade?' in his head. He jerked in response. "Oh, Slade, right. I…I'm okay. I'm just a little…tired still."

As soon as the headache passed, Robin felt relieved. After so long, he finally remembered who Slade was. That powerful, nagging feeling was finally gone.

"Here, sit down," Slade said, carefully turning him around and pulling out a chair. Robin sat down, shaking his head. "I had a feeling you would wake up soon, so I made food." He headed for the stove and turned off the burners. "Would you like a plate?"

Robin blinked, just admiring him for a moment. He quickly came out of it. "Oh, um, yeah, sure. I guess." Going to a cupboard, Slade pulled it open and pulled out a plate. Robin watched him pile food onto it after returning to the stove and picking up a spatula. "Um, Slade?"

Turning around, Slade walked up to the table and set his plate down. "Yes?"

"How did you find me?"

Slade had sat down while he talked. He chuckled. "Believe me, it wasn't easy. Ever since Red X and I saw you on the news-"

Robin's brow furrowed and he frowned. "Red X?"

Slade blinked at the interruption. He stared intently at Robin in silence for a moment. "Are you sure you're alright?"

Robin blinked a few times. When he saw a glimpse of a skull-masked teen, he instantly remembered. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Really. I'm just… Well, its been a really long time since we've been apart. This last year has been a total blur." Robin gave him a fake, encouraging smile before grabbing his fork and picking up some eggs. He quickly ate them. "Anyway, you saw me on the news? When?"

Slade eyed him suspiciously for a few more seconds before brushing it aside. "Not long ago. You stopped a train and managed to look at one of the phone cameras. Since then, I was monitoring the satellites for any signs of you. I had a feeling you were coming in this direction, so I've been waiting. When I found you get attacked by a white panther, I rushed to your location. I found you unconscious next to Noah in a crater."

Robin swallowed his next bite the wrong way. Coughing violently, he pounded on his chest to make the food go down. "O-Oh, r-right. Noah. I-Is he okay?"

"Yes. He was far better off than you were, unfortunately."

Robin coughed one more time. "How long was I asleep then?"

"Five days."

Robin chuckled nervously. "I guess that's what happens from almost dying."

Robin went back to eating, not noticing the new look on Slade's face. His eyes were narrowed solemnly at him.

"Has the demon used you more than once?" Robin's hand stopped and he slowly lowered it. He suddenly lost his appetite. "What did he make you do?"

Robin stared down at the table, his eyes narrowed in disappointment. "When I went to save Rosie, these men were going to rape her. So the demon took over and killed them." Slade's eyes widened in shock. "I didn't want to do it, but I was so _angry_. I think he feeds off anger, so I try to stay as positive as possible. It helped for a time, but then I came across eight men gang raping a woman. At first I just let them get away. I stayed with her until the police arrived. Then the demon made me kill them. I felt so ashamed afterward, but what could I do? So I kept going and the panther found me and attacked me. So I had to transform and fight him, lest I lose my own life." Robin looked up at Slade. "But I'm fine. Really. I've been trying my hardest to find my way back to you and now we're here." Robin then smiled. "And now I can be happy."

Slade wasn't sure he bought Robin's story, but he decided not to push it. He then smiled. "I'm glad to have you back."

After a big grin, Robin returned to his plate, not noticing the worrisome look in Slade's eyes.

* * *

Late that afternoon, Robin met with Noah outside, who was walking around and talking with Red X. They had just returned from an hour walk. Robin was glad to see Noah's cat ears and tail gone. Abyss probably had returned him to normal after he released him. When he saw Robin, Noah grinned and ran up to him. Robin smiled back.

"Hey, Noah."

They shook hands.

"Hey Robin," Noah said back. "How was your mission?"

Robin groaned. "Long, hard, boring, and lonely. But, I managed to find all of the kids in the states, as promised."

"That's great!" Red X appeared behind Noah. "Did you find Rosie?"

Robin nodded. "Yeah, I did."

"Why wasn't she with you?"

Robin didn't answer. Instead, he looked past Noah and smiled at Red. "Hey."

"'Sup, kid. You feeling alright?"

Robin nodded enthusiastically. "I'm doing pretty good. You?"

"Eh, still achy sometimes, but I have my strength back," Red answered. "I walk every day to restrengthen my joints and legs. Being cramped in the mind of a giant snow leopard caused some back and leg issues."

"I can imagine." Everyone was silent for a few seconds. "Oh, Slade's making dinner. He said it should be ready in thirty minutes." Robin turned around. "We can talk more inside. I have to explain some things."

Noah and Red glanced at each other before following Robin inside. Red X went into the kitchen while Noah and Robin sat on the living room couch. Noah stared at him in his usual snooty way that Robin first saw at Drake's factory.

"What happened to Rosie after you rescued her?" he asked half a minute later, sounding slightly defensive.

Robin sighed. "I won't lie, but when I found her, she wasn't doing so well."

Noah finally glared at him. "What is that supposed to mean?" he asked angrily.

Red returned with a bottle of water. He sat down in the recliner before Robin answered.

"Rosie was forced to have sex with men," he said grimly. "The day I found her, three Hispanics were there to pay for her. I stopped them right after they entered her room. After I rescued her, I tried to get her to tell me how many times she was raped all those months but it upset her. After a few days, we neared the next city and she left to go to the hospital. That's when we parted ways. As far as I know, she's safe and healing."

Noah's hands had curled into fists on his legs during the explanation. His brow was furrowed tightly and tears had formed in his eyes. He swallowed down the lump in his throat.

"Why d-didn't you stay with h-her?"

Robin looked off to the side. "I did something terrible right in front of her. She didn't show it after I apologized for what I did, but I know she was still mad at me. Besides, my instincts drove me to keep going. I didn't know why, but I knew there was somewhere I had to be." Robin didn't look back for a few more seconds. "I was just a few days away from here when you found me."

Noah gave him a confused look. "_I _found you?"

"Well, you probably don't remember, but you were temporarily possessed by a white panther god. His name was Abyss and he attacked me because of Fenrir."

Red was just about to take a gulp of water when Robin mentioned Fenrir. "Fenrir? Who's that?"

Robin scratched at the side of his neck. "Fenrir is a wolf god. He's attached to my soul because of Drake. Abyss wanted to kill Fenrir, but he would've had to kill me too. So Fenrir and Abyss battled, trying to kill one another. At one point, I saw Noah within Abyss's subconscious while I was in Fenrir's. Fenrir confronted him about it and Abyss said Noah was a temporary host. Fenrir managed to defeat him in the end and Noah was let go. I don't know what happened to Abyss."

Noah had been frowning the whole time. "So how did you end up unconscious for several days? I woke up the next day, sore and groggy, but safe. Slade wouldn't let me see you to make sure you were alright."

Robin nodded. "After the battle, Fenrir reverted to his soul form and told me I deserved the rest. I had been traveling in my wolf form for the last few months. The battle took a lot out of us. He usually talks to me, but he hasn't spoken a word since I got up today."

Noah had finally relaxed and was leaning against the back of the couch. "Well, I'm glad Rosie and you are safe. I wish she was here, since I wanted to be with her, but I guess it can't be helped. We'll just have to find a way to get her here or something."

"She was gonna see if she could get the basilisk tail surgically removed, so I don't know how long she would've had to stay in the hospital," Robin explained. "We have no way of contacting her either."

"Could Fenrir locate her?" Red asked as he did leg stretches from the chair, not looking at them as he did.

Robin shrugged. "I don't know, I guess. I don't want to bother him right now though. I've actually been enjoying the quiet in my head." The room got quiet for the next few minutes. Robin then looked at Red. "Besides healing, anything exciting happen while I was gone?"

Red yawned. "Not really. I slept a lot, watched TV, and did simple exercises to build up my strength. Three and a half weeks ago I started walking for two hours a day, for fresh air and such. I haven't had the strength to suit up and steal stuff. I'm tempted to quit, actually. Slade said I can stay here as long as I want since I have nowhere else to go."

"That's nice of him," Robin said with a smile. "And I'm glad you're thinking about giving up thievery."

"Yeah, well, Slade is the real reason for that. He said I should do something else with my life since he's not a villain anymore. I guess its fair, but I'ma miss stealing." Red chuckled. "Well, for the most part, anyway. I still sneak cookies now and then." Noah sniggered and then started to laugh. Robin chuckled. Almost a minute later and Slade came out of the kitchen. Red, Noah, and Robin looked at him. "Is dinner done?"

Slade nodded. "Yes, Red, it is." Red and Noah got up to head into the kitchen. Robin stayed sitting in his spot. Slade glanced at the two out of the corner of his eye until they were out of sight before looking back at Robin. "Are you coming?"

Robin scratched the back of his head. "I don't need to eat regularly anymore, so I think I'll go outside and take a walk."

"Are you sure?"

Standing up, Robin stretched his arms above his head. "Y-Yeah…" After a long and loud stretch, he lowered his arms. "I'll see you in an hour at most."

Slade stared unmoving at him briefly before stepping closer and running his hand through Robin's still slightly wet hair from his shower almost two hours before. Robin tried to understand the look in his eyes, but he couldn't grasp it. Once again, Slade was a total mystery to him. Robin wished he could tell him that he forgot all about him while he was away, but he didn't want to hurt him. So, for now at least, he would keep it to himself, until he was brave enough to tell Slade the truth. Until then, Robin had to fake being fine and happy and normal. He just hoped it would continue to last…

**To Be Continued… **


End file.
